Iran's new president Pezeshkian to lead revived Defense Council amid IRGC criticism

 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has been appointed head of the country’s newly revived Defense Council, a body reminiscent of wartime institutions from the Iran-Iraq war era, Iranian media linked to the IRGC reported.

The council includes leaders of all three branches of power, senior ministers, and top military commanders from both the army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It is tasked with strengthening operational military capacity and overseeing the allocation of resources for defense.

The move comes as Iran’s leadership continues to grapple with the fallout from the recent 12-day war with Israel, during which the IRGC faced harsh criticism for poor performance.

Simultaneously, a new national civil defense training plan was announced, aiming to prepare the population and upgrade bomb shelters. Army commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi stressed the need for short-, mid-, and long-term readiness plans for civilian infrastructure.

Analysts view the shift toward civilian oversight as both a response to military failures and an attempt by political elites to gain more control over Iran’s defense budget.

N.Təbrizli