Ali Shamkhani (born 29 September 1955) is an Iranian naval officer and politician who served as the secretary of the

Supreme National Security Council Supreme National Security Council (SNSC; ''Showrāye Āliye Amniyate Mellī'' also ''Supreme Council for National Security'') is the national security council of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The current secretary of the Supreme National Securi ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

from 2013 to 2023. He is a member of the

Expediency Discernment Council The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( ''Majma'-e Tašxis-e Maslahat-e Nezâm'') is an administrative assembly of Iran appointed by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of ...

of Iran and political advisor of the

Supreme Leader of Iran The supreme leader of Iran, also referred to as the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, but officially called the supreme leadership authority, is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of Iran (above the Presi ...

since 2023.

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

(IDF) claimed to have assassinated Shamkhani with an airstrike on 13 June 2025 during the start of the Iran–Israel war. However, Iranian media claimed on 20 June that Shamkhani is still alive, and is in stable condition after recovering from his severe injuries from the strike. He is one of the political appointees overseeing the United States–Iran negotiations aimed at reaching a nuclear peace agreement.

Early life and education

Shamkhani was born on 29 September 1955 in

Ahvaz Ahvaz (; ) is a city in the Central District of Ahvaz County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is home to Persians, Arabs and other groups such as Qashqai and Kurds. Languages spok ...

Khuzestan Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...

, Iran. His family is of Iranian Arab origin. Before the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

, Shamkhani was member of a clandestine Islamist guerilla group named ''Mansouroun'' (), engaging in armed struggle against the

Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty () is an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian royal dynasty that was the Pahlavi Iran, last to rule Iran before the country's monarchy was abolished by the Iranian Revolution in 1979. It was founded in 1925 by Reza Shah, Reza S ...

. After the revolution, he joined the Islamist Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization. He studied engineering at

Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz is an Iranian University in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, Iran. By the ISC ranking, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz was 13th largest and top university in Iran in 2015. SCU University is considered one of Iran's "Grade A ...

Career

Shamkhani served as the commander of the Iranian

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

(IRGC) navy with the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

. Later he also commanded the Iranian Artesh navy in addition to the IRGC navy. He was appointed the Minister of Revolutionary Guards in 1988. He held the post of the Minister of defence and Armed Forces Logistics from August 1997 until August 2005 in

the government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

Mohammad Khatami Mohammad Khatami (born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to 1992. Later, he was critic ...

. Shamkani was replaced by Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar in the post. Shamkhani also ran for office in the 2001 Iranian presidential elections, coming in third. He was the director of the Iranian

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

Center for Strategic Studies from 2005 to 2013. He was also military advisor to the

, Ayatollah

Ali Khamenei Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third President of Iran, president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure ...

. On 10 September 2013, Shamkhani was appointed to secretary of the

(SNSC) of Iran by president Hassan Rouhani. After the US airstrike on 3 January 2020 killed the head of IRGC's

Quds force The Quds Force () is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It specializes in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War General Stanley McChrystal describes the Quds Fo ...

Qasem Soleimani Qasem Soleimani (; 11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until Assassination of Qasem Soleimani, his assassination by the United States in 2020, h ...

as he travelled in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, Shamkhani said on 6 January that Iran’s response would be a "historic nightmare" for the US: "Even if the weakest of these scenarios gains a consensus, the implementation of it can be a historic nightmare for the Americans... The entirety of the resistance forces will retaliate," he said to the

Fars News Agency The Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), one of the three branches of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency" ...

. The SNSC was assessing 13 revenge scenarios. At a Baghdad news conference after meeting with Iraqi politicians on 7 March 2020, Shamkhani said "Zionists are against regional security." Shamkhani resigned as the country's top security official in May 2023. The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' disclosed that the Iranian government removed Shamkhani from his position as a national security official following scrutiny over his close ties with a senior British spy. Speculation about his departure arose in January after his former ally, Iranian-British politician and military officer Alireza Akbari, was executed for espionage on behalf of the UK. In June 2023, a report Iran International revealed that Shamkhani was forced to resign after his involvement as a key member of the government circle linked to Naji Sharifi-Zindashti, who allegedly headed a cartel engaged in kidnapping and drug trafficking in collaboration with the IRGC, was made public. In 2025, Shamkhani is overseeing the United States–Iran negotiations aimed at reaching a nuclear peace agreement.

Sanctions

On 10 January 2020, the

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

extended its sanctions under Executive Order 13876 to Shamkhani and seven other individuals, and "twenty-two entities and three vessels pursuant to Executive Order 13871" as well as a Chinese steel trading organization under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act. According to secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, Shamkhani and other senior Regime Officials were sanctioned for "their involvement and complicity in Tuesday’s ballistic missile strikes". according to the statement, the sanctions will continue until all terrorist support and promotion by the Iranian regime ends. On 20 February 2020, the

US Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current U.S. government departments. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and ...

extended its sanctions again under Executive Order 13876 to Shamkhani amongst other individuals, following "the disqualification of several thousand electoral candidates by Iran's

Guardian Council The Guardian Council (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, ) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The constitution ...

Personal life

Ali Shamkhani is the father of Hossein Shamkhani, said to successfully manage international oil trading operations despite U.S. sanctions targeting Iranian oil. According to U.S. officials, Hossein is a major figure in the supply of Iranian arms to Russia.

Awards and honors

In 2003, Shamkhani received the Shoja'at Medal, the highest military medal from President

.علی شمخانی، دبیر شورای عالی امنیت ملی ایران شد
''Shafaqna'' (in Persian) He was also honored for his eight years service as minister of defense in 2005. In 2004, Shamkhani received the

Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud The Order of King Abdulaziz (Arabic: وسام الملك عبد العزيز Wisām al-malik ‘Abd al-‘Azīz) is a Saudi Arabian order of merit. The order was named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder of the modern Saudi state. History In 1971 ...

, the highest award in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

from

King Fahd Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; 1920, 1921 or 1923 – 1 August 2005) was King of Saudi Arabia, King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 13 June 1982 until his death in 2005. Prior to his ascension, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 1 ...

for his prominent role in the design and implementation in developing relations with Arabic countries in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

. He was the first Iranian minister to receive the medal and received medals from the presidents of Syria and Lebanon in February 2004.

Assassination attempt

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shamkhani, Ali 1955 births Living people Candidates in the 2001 Iranian presidential election Commanders of Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Defence ministers of Iran Iranian Arab military personnel Iranian civil servants Iranian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions Islamic Republic of Iran Navy rear admirals Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel of the Iran–Iraq War Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization politicians People from Ahvaz Recipients of the Order of Fath Representatives of the supreme leader Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz alumni