Gone too far? Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in Iran sparks a storm
Mohsen Rezaee, recently appointed to a senior security post, has sparked a political storm with hawkish remarks that contradict the official line of Iran's leadership. His comments regarding a potential halt to oil exports and a reconsideration of nuclear doctrine have ignited intense domestic debate.
A political storm erupted this week in Iran following a series of sharp statements by Mohsen Rezaee, the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and representative of the leader Mojtaba Khamenei on the council. Rezaee threatened that Iran might completely stop its oil exports, warned countries cooperating with the United States, and publicly raised a hint that was interpreted as a possibility that Iran would reconsider its traditional position regarding nuclear weapons.
The remarks sparked a debate within Iran not only around their content, but also around a more fundamental question: is Rezaee presenting Iran's security policy, the position of the Supreme Leader, or his personal opinion?
On Sunday, Rezaee wrote on X that Tehran would view any country that participates in the US economic campaign against Iran or supports it as having committed an act of war. "If the economic war continues, not a drop of oil will be exported, not through the Strait of Hormuz and not from anywhere in the Persian Gulf," he wrote.
This sharp statement comes at a time when Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf are conveying significantly different messages. Pezeshkian said on Friday that it is better to end the war while Iran is in a position of strength and dignity. Qalibaf, for his part, warned: "No matter how much military power we have, we will not survive if the people are hungry."
Secretary or President?
The gap between Rezaee's words and the positions of other senior figures in Iran quickly became a central topic in the political debate. The conservative and hawkish newspaper Mashregh praised Rezaee on Monday for presenting an alternative to the "language of weakness and surrender" by other officials. According to the newspaper, Rezaee's approach is an attempt to make the economic siege expensive for those who planned and support it.
On the other hand, reformist elements in Iran cast doubt on Rezaee's authority to present such a policy without an official decision of the Supreme National Security Council. Former reformist MP Mahmoud Sadeghi addressed Rezaee directly on X: "The seat you are sitting on is the secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council, not the presidency."
Alongside the criticism, it is notable that Rezaee was appointed to the position by Khamenei himself, which effectively gives his positions a stronger and more official stamp. In many ways, Rezaee's hawkish stance reflects the transformation that has occurred in the Iranian leadership since the beginning of the war, which is becoming much more aggressive as the influence of reformists wanes.
The Nuclear Question
The debate became even more significant due to the fact that Rezaee hinted at the future of Iran's nuclear policy. In an interview broadcast on state television, he claimed that American attacks proved that neither membership in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons nor cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency can protect a country from a military attack.
"When America conducts such a war, people in the world naturally ask: why shouldn't we develop nuclear weapons ourselves?" he said, adding that nuclear weapons might be cheaper and more effective than maintaining massive conventional military capabilities. While Rezaee did not explicitly state that Iran has decided to develop a nuclear bomb, some hawkish elements interpreted his words as an invitation to re-examine the country's nuclear doctrine.
Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, spokesman for former reformist president Mohammad Khatami, argued that the role of the secretary is to prepare council meetings, not to independently determine policy. However, hawkish elements reject this interpretation and point to Rezaee's additional role as the Supreme Leader's representative. Conservative journalist Ehsan Salehi presented Rezaee's words as part of a deliberate strategy of escalation: "Each new stage of pressure and tension makes Iran's behavior more complex and tough and pushes the solution further away."
