Tehran denies US talks as strikes rattle Israel and markets swing amid fragile Middle East tensions
\n tehran
\nIran has named a former Revolutionary Guards commander and senior figure in the hardline political faction on Tuesday to replace the head of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Ali Larijani, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes last week.
\nMohammad Baqer Zolqadr was appointed as Larijani\u2019s successor as secretary of the SNSC, the Iranian president\u2019s deputy of communications posted on X on Tuesday.
\nThe SNSC, formally chaired by the elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, coordinates security and foreign policy, and includes top military, intelligence and government officials in addition to representatives of the supreme leader who has ultimate say over all matters of state. Zolqadr is a former Revolutionary Guards commander who has in the past held senior security positions such as deputy for security at the interior ministry, deputy at the armed forces\u2019 general staff and advisor to the judiciary chief for crime prevention.
\nHe headed the electoral headquarters of the Popular Front of Islamic Revolutionary Forces. Since 2022, he has served as secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, an assembly that resolves differences between parliament and the Guardian Council of Shi\u2019ite clerics and jurists who can veto legislation and supervise elections.
\nIran\u2019s military spox says forces will fight \u2018until complete victory\u2019
\nThe spokesman of Iran\u2019s top military command says the country\u2019s armed forces will fight \u201cuntil complete victory,\u201d according to Al Jazeera.
\nThe comments by Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, carried by state television, said, \u201cIran\u2019s powerful armed forces are proud, victorious and steadfast in defending Iran\u2019s integrity, and this path will continue until complete victory\u201d.
\nThe general did not say what \u201ccomplete victory\u201d would look like, but the Qatari news organisation added that it appeared likely that Iran\u2019s military was trying to warn against offering concessions in any possible negotiations with the US, Al Jazeera reported.
\nMeanwhile, Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, the Israeli military said, after US President Donald Trump postponed a threat to bomb the Islamic Republic\u2019s power grid because of what he described as productive talks with Iranian officials.
\nThe missiles triggered air raid sirens in Israel, including Tel Aviv, where gaping holes were torn through a multi-storey apartment building. It was not immediately clear if the damage was caused by a direct hit or debris from an interception.
\nIsrael\u2019s Fire and Rescue Service said they were searching for civilians trapped in one building in Tel Aviv and discovered civilians in a shelter in another damaged building.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tehran denies US talks as strikes rattle Israel and markets swing amid fragile Middle East tensions tehran Iran has named a former Revolutionary Guards commander and senior figure in the hardline political faction on Tuesday to replace the head of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Ali Larijani, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-538054","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n