Iranian Defence Council

The Iranian Defence Council is a state defence-coordination body of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It was created after the June 2025 Twelve-Day War with Israel, during which Iranian military, nuclear and defence infrastructure suffered major damage and a number of senior commanders and scientists were killed. The council was formally approved and announced on 3 August 2025 under Article 176 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which provides the legal framework for the Supreme National Security Council and its security-coordination functions. The council's creation represented an attempt to consolidate defence planning and improve coordination among Iran's political, military, intelligence and economic institutions. Its stated responsibilities include determining defence and national-security policies within the broad policy framework set by the Supreme Leader, coordinating political, intelligence, social, cultural and economic activities relevant to national defence, and mobilising Iran's material and intellectual resources against internal and external threats. The body is also intended to strengthen defence capabilities, shorten decision-making processes, centralise defence planning and improve preparedness for changing forms of conflict. Iranian constitutional and governmental descriptions place the President at the head of the council. President Masoud Pezeshkian serves in that role, while membership includes the senior leadership of Iran's armed forces, military commanders, representatives of the Supreme Leader within the Supreme National Security Council, the Minister of Intelligence and representatives of relevant ministries, including Defence and Foreign Affairs. Ali Shamkhani and Ali Akbar Ahmadian were reported as having been appointed to the council by the Supreme Leader on 7 August 2025. The secretary is appointed by the President. The institution has a historical predecessor in Iran's High Defence Council, which operated during the Iran–Iraq War. That earlier body participated in defence affairs during the conflict but gradually lost relevance after the war and was formally dissolved during the 1989 constitutional revision. The modern Defence Council was established roughly 36 years after that constitutional change, in response to a new assessment of Iran's defence-governance needs. Iranian government-aligned outlets, including Fars and Tasnim, have presented the council as part of a wider restructuring designed to accelerate military decision-making and create greater unity among defence and security institutions. Other commentary has been more critical. Analyst Murad Vaisi argued that the council's principal purpose was to protect the political system from destabilisation rather than directly protect the Iranian population. This interpretation reflects broader debate over whether the body is primarily an administrative coordination mechanism or a response to perceived weaknesses in Iran's existing military and security leadership. In 2026, reports stated that Ali Shamkhani, who had served as secretary, was killed in United States and Israeli strikes during the 2026 Iran war. Ali Akbar Ahmadian was subsequently reported as serving as secretary in April 2026. Because the council is a government institution rather than a commercial consumer-facing brand, it has no known product portfolio, retail presence, public listing or commercial operating model.

Iran's modern Defence Council emerged from a reorganisation of defence governance following the Twelve-Day War with Israel in June 2025. The conflict exposed vulnerabilities in Iran's military and security systems: military, nuclear and defence facilities were damaged, and numerous senior commanders and scientists were reportedly killed. These events prompted a review of how Iran coordinated military planning, intelligence, political direction and national mobilisation. The council was formally established on 3 August 2025 as a sub-council of the Supreme National Security Council. Its legal basis was identified as Article 176 of Iran's Constitution, the provision governing national-security coordination and the Supreme National Security Council. The new body was designed to operate under the supervision of the Commander-in-Chief and within the general policy framework set by the Supreme Leader. Its objectives include strengthening defence capabilities, unifying the work of military and security institutions, accelerating decisions on national-defence questions and improving responses to emerging threats. The Defence Council also has an institutional predecessor. During the Iran–Iraq War, Iran maintained a High Defence Council that played a role in the early years of the conflict. That institution was considered less effective than the Supreme National Security Council and gradually became inactive after the war. It was formally dissolved during the constitutional revision of 1989. The 2025 council therefore restored a distinct high-level defence-coordination function after a gap of approximately 36 years, although its constitutional setting and relationship with the Supreme National Security Council differ from the earlier wartime arrangement. The President of Iran chairs the council. Its reported membership includes the leaders of the armed forces, senior military commanders, two representatives of the Supreme Leader serving within the Supreme National Security Council, the Minister of Intelligence and officials from ministries connected to defence and foreign policy. The secretary is appointed by the President. Ali Shamkhani and Ali Akbar Ahmadian were reported to have received appointments from the Supreme Leader on 7 August 2025. Shamkhani was subsequently reported to have been killed in United States and Israeli strikes during the 2026 Iran war. In April 2026, Ali Akbar Ahmadian was reported as serving as secretary. The council's public rationale is administrative and strategic: it is meant to centralise defence planning, coordinate political and military institutions, mobilise state resources and ensure faster responses to threats. Iranian government-aligned media, including Fars and Tasnim, described the body as part of a broader restructuring of defence governance. Critical analysis offered a different interpretation. Murad Vaisi argued that the council was principally intended to preserve the political system and prevent destabilisation, reflecting doubts about the effectiveness of existing military leadership after the 2025 attacks. As a government council, the institution does not manufacture or sell defence equipment under a consumer brand. Its significance lies in governance, coordination and strategic decision-making rather than in a commercial product range.

• 2026

  Secretary changes after reported death of Ali Shamkhani

  [1]Iranian Defence Councilen.wikipedia.org

  Following reports that Ali Shamkhani was killed during the 2026 Iran war, Ali Akbar Ahmadian was reported as serving as secretary in April 2026.

• 2025

  Twelve-Day War prompts defence-governance review

  [1]Iranian Defence Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The June conflict with Israel caused extensive damage to Iranian military, nuclear and defence facilities and led to a review of security and defence coordination.

• 2025

  Defence Council formally established

  [1]Iranian Defence Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The council was approved and announced on 3 August as a sub-council of the Supreme National Security Council under Article 176 of the Constitution.

• 2025

  Initial appointments reported

  [1]Iranian Defence Councilen.wikipedia.org

  Ali Shamkhani and Ali Akbar Ahmadian were reported as appointed to the council by the Supreme Leader on 7 August.

• 1989

  High Defence Council dissolved

  [1]Iranian Defence Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The earlier High Defence Council associated with the Iran–Iraq War was formally dissolved during Iran's constitutional revision.

A central government forum for defence planning, national-security coordination and mobilisation of Iran's state resources against military and other security threats.

• 2025

  Creation of a central defence-coordination councilStrategy

  Background

  The council was created after the Twelve-Day War, which exposed damage to Iranian defence and nuclear facilities and weaknesses in the coordination of national-security institutions.

  Action taken

  Iran established the Defence Council as a sub-council of the Supreme National Security Council under Article 176 of the Constitution.

  Aftermath

  The body was assigned responsibility for coordinating defence policy, mobilising state resources, strengthening preparedness and accelerating national-defence decisions.

  Source

1. 1Iranian Defence Councilen.wikipedia.org