A sculpture overlooking the Strait of Hormuz is seen along the seafront in the port city of Bandar Abbas, in southern Iran on Aug. 10, 2026. (Credit: Atta Kenare/AFP)
Iran is working to fill vacancies at the top of its military and security apparatus as talks over the Strait of Hormuz remain stalled and tensions with the United States continue.At the same time, the outlines of the system that the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is seeking to build around himself are beginning to take shape. On Aug. 10, he thus appointed or confirmed six senior military officials. This series of decisions comes in the wake of another major change: the appointment of Mohsen Rezaee, 71, former commander of the Revolutionary Guard, as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). Taken together, these choices seem to reveal an intent to rebuild and reorganize the command structure of a state that appears more prepared for a prolonged confrontation than a return to the previous status quo.The old...
Iran is working to fill vacancies at the top of its military and security apparatus as talks over the Strait of Hormuz remain stalled and tensions with the United States continue.At the same time, the outlines of the system that the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is seeking to build around himself are beginning to take shape. On Aug. 10, he thus appointed or confirmed six senior military officials. This series of decisions comes in the wake of another major change: the appointment of Mohsen Rezaee, 71, former commander of the Revolutionary Guard, as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). Taken together, these choices seem to reveal an intent to rebuild and reorganize the command structure of a state that appears more prepared for a prolonged confrontation than a return to the previous status quo.The old...
