Iran’s supreme leader elevates military veterans willing to confront the US | CNN

US President Donald Trump has boasted that his war in Iran has led to a “very rational,” “very different,” and “much more reasonable” leadership in Tehran. But the elevation of six hardliners to top security positions this week suggests the Islamic Republic’s new command may be neither moderate nor inclined to compromise. The men now rising through the security establishment have spent their careers confronting enemies abroad and suppressing dissent at home. The announcement of the senior appointments, purportedly made by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday, followed the naming of a new national security chief, Mohsen Rezaie, a day earlier. Experts say the changes mark a shift in approach compared to the more cautious tone under Mojtaba’s father, Ali Khamenei, who was supreme leader until assassinated by Israel at the start of the war. It is both more aggressive toward external enemies and more vigilant toward internal dissent. There are two parallel priorities, says Hamidreza Azizi at the Clingendael Institute, a think tank in the Netherlands: preparing the state for a more confrontational external environment and further securitizing the domestic sphere. “

Aug 11, 2026 → Aug 31, 2026