Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, the former long-serving secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), as Secretary of the newly established Defense Council.

The appointment was made through a presidential decree issued on Thursday evening, The Caspian Post reports, citing Iranian media.

The Defense Council was recently approved by the SNSC and formally established on August 3, 2025, following confirmation by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the president. Its creation came in the aftermath of an unprecedented military confrontation in which Israel and the U.S. launched attacks on Iran between June 13 and June 24, targeting nuclear, military, and civilian infrastructure.

According to an SNSC announcement cited by Tehran Times, the Defense Council is tasked with centrally reviewing and formulating defense strategies and plans, as well as strengthening the combat capabilities of Iran’s Armed Forces. Its core mission is to command responses to any potential war and to defend Iran’s sovereignty against external threats, operating under the framework of the SNSC.

President Pezeshkian will serve as head of the Defense Council.