Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has surrounded himself with a hardline circle of veteran generals and clerics, including figures closely associated with the regime’s past crackdowns on anti-government protests, signaling that Tehran has little intention of moving toward a more moderate leadership.

Khamenei, who has led Iran since February, has issued a series of appointments placing some of the country’s most powerful hardliners at the center of the regime. Mohsen Rezaei was appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, while Ahmad Vahidi was named commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Among the most significant appointments is Hossein Taeb, the former head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization who was removed from that position in 2022. Taeb has now been placed in command of the Basij, the paramilitary force that has played a central role in suppressing demonstrations across Iran.

The appointment is being viewed as a sign that Iran’s leadership is determined to prevent another outbreak of unrest as the country struggles under severe economic pressure and continuing sanctions.

Sascha Bruchmann, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, described the officials surrounding Khamenei as a clique of older senior officers who have served alongside one another for decades. He said placing an intelligence veteran like Taeb at the head of the Basij makes sense for a regime seeking to stop a potential uprising before it even begins.

At the same time, Iran’s leadership is showing little confidence that an agreement with the United States can be reached after Iran was attacked twice while negotiations were underway. Rezaei has warned that if the economic war against Iran continues, “not a single drop of oil” will be exported from the Persian Gulf.

President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, continues to publicly call for a diplomatic solution and an end to the war, highlighting significant divisions within Iran’s leadership over the country’s future direction.

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, has not appeared publicly, in videos or in audio recordings since his father was killed in Israeli strikes. The report says there is speculation that Khamenei was injured, with his continued absence potentially reflecting either the severity of his injuries or the extraordinary security surrounding him amid concerns that Israel could target him.

The appointments indicate that Khamenei is consolidating power around veteran security officials with decades of experience inside the regime and a history of confronting internal dissent — particularly as Iran faces mounting economic pressure and the possibility of renewed unrest.

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