Who is Ali Akbar Ahmadian

Who is Ali Akbar Ahmadian?

Who is Ali Akbar Ahmadian? According to Iran Gate, last night Ali Shamkhani resigned from his position and stepped down as the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council after ten years. Although this news has not yet been officially announced, this morning news was published regarding the appointment of Ali Akbar Ahmadian as the new Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, giving credibility to the rumors. Who is Ali Akbar Ahmadian and what is his track record?

Ali Shamkhani, the former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who served in this position for ten years, resigned last night. Immediately after the news of his resignation circulated in the media, Ebrahim Raisi appointed Ali Akbar Ahmadian as the new Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

Who is Ahmadian?

Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the new Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, was active until last night as the head of the Strategic Center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Known as one of the significant military figures of the IRGC, his positions align closely with the thirteenth government led by Ebrahim Raisi, and he is likely to act in accordance with the president’s policies.

Education and Academic Activities

As mentioned, Ali Akbar Ahmadian is one of the commanders of the IRGC. He was born in 1961 in Shahr-e Babak, Kerman Province. Ahmadian studied dentistry at the University of Tehran, earning a general doctorate, and also graduated with a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the National Defense University. Among his academic activities, he served as the commander of Imam Hossein University from 2005 to 2007.

Military Record

Ali Akbar Ahmadian’s career in the country’s armed forces is extensive. From 1984 to 1985, he was the chief of staff of the Noah Nabi Base in Bushehr. He also served as the chief of staff of the IRGC Navy from 1985 to 1989. Ahmadian was the deputy commander of the IRGC Navy for eight years from 1989 to 1997.

In 1997, after reaching the position of Minister of Defense in the first government of Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, Ahmadian was appointed by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic as the successor to Ali Shamkhani in the command of the IRGC Navy. Therefore, it can be said that this is the second time Ali Akbar Ahmadian has replaced Ali Shamkhani, once in the command of the IRGC Navy and now as the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. Both veteran naval commanders are not unfamiliar with this occurrence.

Ahmadian continued as the commander of the IRGC Navy until the end of 2000. After this position, in 2000, he was appointed as the chief of staff of the IRGC and continued in this role until 2007. In 2007, he was appointed by Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, as the head of the Strategic Center of the IRGC and continued in this role until last night when he was appointed by Ebrahim Raisi, the president of the thirteenth government, as the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

Political Stances

Ali Akbar Ahmadian has been under international sanctions since the early days of nuclear sanctions. Since 2007, during the initial rounds of nuclear sanctions that began in 2007, he has been targeted by sanctions due to his military background and his then-position in the IRGC.

Ahmadian’s political stances have not been very clear to the media, and there are not many public statements from him in the country’s media space. However, based on the limited statements and hearsay, it can be said that he has a more moderate and gentle approach compared to other IRGC commanders. His political positions are quite aligned with Ebrahim Raisi and his government. Overall, he is known as a moderate figure among the IRGC commanders, but compared to Ali Shamkhani, he seems to be more hardline and with positions closer to the thirteenth government.

It should be noted that before the announcement of Ahmadian’s appointment, some sources reported that Saeed Jalili’s appointment as the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council had been finalized, but Ebrahim Raisi, seemingly waiting for Ali Shamkhani’s resignation, immediately appointed Ali Akbar Ahmadian to the position of Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.