The Islamic Republic of Iran is forming a new National Defense Council and appointed a new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, though it remains unclear whether the moves signal defiance toward the West and Israel or preparation for potential concessions.
One thing, however, is certain: The regime’s top priority is self-preservation, following a military defeat by Israel and mounting domestic crises it no longer can contain.
At the beginning of August 2025, websites close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council reported upcoming structural changes, including the creation of a new National Defense Council—a body that last existed during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.
These reports also mentioned the appointment of Ali Larijani, the former three-term speaker of Parliament and a centrist figure, to the Supreme National Security Council.
On August 5, President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed his appointment, replacing an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general who held the post for more than a year.
In his decree, the president called on the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council to “monitor and prioritize national security issues and risks, especially emerging and technological threats.”
Some Iranian observers interpret this move as a weakening of the hardliner faction led by Saeed Jalili, a radical politician who has exerted substantial influence over national security policy.
Others see it as preparation to face a potential second round of Israeli attacks. Still others argue that the regime appointed Larijani to signal a softer stance to the West, aiming to buy time and avert further sanctions.
The formation of a defense council reflects the scale of the regime’s defeat during the 12-day war with Israel.
Israeli forces caught Iran’s leadership off guard, eliminating a significant portion of its senior military commanders and nuclear scientists within the first hours of the campaign.
Subsequent Israeli strikes—coordinated and targeted—devastated nuclear and military facilities across Iran, revealing the depth of Israeli intelligence penetration and damaging the regime’s credibility.
Combined with escalating domestic crises—particularly water and electricity shortages—these failures have increased the risk of mass unrest.
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