Tehran, May 21 – The longstanding secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, has announced his departure from the post after a decade of tenure. In a poetic flourish, Shamkhani took to Twitter on Sunday night, May 21, to share a verse by esteemed Iranian poet Mohtasham Kashani, subtly conveying his departure. This revelation follows a period of conjecture and hearsay surrounding his potential exit from the role.
Appointed by former president Hassan Rouhani on September 10, 2013, Ali Shamkhani succeeded Saeed Jalili as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. Assuming helm of the secretariat during a critical period, the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group had been delegated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under Mohammad Javad Zarif’s purview. While the determination of the scope, boundaries, and methods of nuclear negotiations rested with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ultimate responsibility for major guidelines and policy formulation in the nuclear arena remained with the Supreme National Security Council, chaired by the president of Iran.
Shamkhani’s political career includes a bid for the presidency in Iran’s eighth presidential election, where he ultimately placed third, conceding the race to Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and runner-up Ahmad Tawakli. However, Khatami subsequently nominated Shamkhani as his proposed defense minister, a position to which he was re-appointed in Khatami’s second cabinet.
Born on September 29, 1955, in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, Ali Shamkhani hails from a family of Iranian Arab origin. As his ten-year tenure draws to a close, the implications of his departure on Iran’s national security landscape remain to be seen.
He announced his departure as Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi is set to travel to Indonesia on Monday for a two-day visit.
