September 1, 2025

Information Cutoff: 2:00 pm ET

Researchers: Katherine Wells, Adham Fattah, Ria Reddy, Johanna Moore, and Annika Ganzeveld

Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Ali Larijani appointed Ali Bagheri Kani as the SNSC deputy for international affairs on August 29. Bagheri Kani’s appointment may aim to placate hardliner criticism about Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government. Bagheri Kani’s appointment comes amid growing criticism from hardliners, particularly members of Saeed Jalili’s Paydari Front, toward the Pezeshkian administration. Hardliners oppose the recent resurgence of moderates and pragmatists in the Iranian political sphere following the Israel-Iran War and have criticized Pezeshkian administration officials, such as Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi, who support renewed negotiations with the United States. An Iranian professor told Iranian reformist media on August 30 that Larijani is a pragmatist and that Bagheri Kani’s appointment may be "the result of bureaucratic processes and political bargaining." Bagheri Kani has historically had close ties to Saeed Jalili. Bagheri Kani served as the SNSC deputy secretary under Jalili from 2007 to 2013. Bagheri Kani subsequently managed Jalili’s presidential campaign in 2013. Bagheri Kani served as deputy foreign affairs minister and chief nuclear negotiator under former hardline President Ebrahim Raisi between 2021 and 2024. Some Iranian media outlets reported that Bagheri Kani and Jalili came into disagreement during Raisi’s administration over Bagheri Kani’s support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or 2015 nuclear deal. Bagheri Kani’s current position on negotiations is unclear. Larijani may have appointed Bagheri Kani due to his close ties to Jalili as part of an effort to reduce recent fissures between hardliners and more moderate elements of the regime.

An Iranian delegation headed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attended a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China on August 31 and September 1. Iran views multilateral institutions such as the SCO as necessary to counter and undermine the US-led international order. The SCO, which Iran joined in 2023, is a multilateral forum that was established by Eurasian countries, including China and Russia, to coordinate on political, military, and economic issues. Representatives from China and Russia, among other countries, attended the summit. Iran, China, and Russia jointly seek to counter Western influence, bypass international sanctions, and undermine US interests. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated prior to departing for China that the SCO aims to “confront unilateralism and totalitarianism.” Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasir Zadeh similarly stated that organizations such as the SCO and BRICS can help Iran confront “unilateralism.”

Iran seeks to deepen its ties with SCO member states to undermine international sanctions. Pezeshkian proposed the formation of a “shared digital infrastructure” using central bank digital currencies to circumnavigate financial sanctions during his speech at the summit. Pezeshkian met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit. Pezeshkian and Putin discussed economic cooperation and political alignment on Iran’s nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi separately met with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of the summit.

• Iran: Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Ali Larijani appointed Ali Bagheri Kani as the SNSC deputy for international affairs on August 29. Larijani may have appointed Bagheri Kani due to his close ties to Paydari Front leader Saeed Jalili as part of an effort to reduce recent fissures between hardliners and more moderate elements of the regime.

• Iran: An Iranian delegation headed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attended a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China on August 31 and September 1. Iran views multilateral institutions such as the SCO as necessary to counter and undermine the US-led international order.

• Iran: Israel located and killed Iranian officials during the Israel-Iran War by tracking their bodyguards’ cellphones, according to Israeli and Iranian officials speaking to the New York Times on August 30. Israel similarly exploited lapses in Hezbollah’s operational security following the Israeli pager and walkie-talkie attacks in September 2024 to kill senior Hezbollah officials.

• Yemen: The Houthis confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Ghalib al Rahwai and 10 other senior Houthi political officials in an airstrike in Haddah District, southern Sanaa City, on August 28. These targeted killings are unlikely to disrupt Houthi military operations against Israel.

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