Minal Khan and Ahsan enjoy Disneyland Paris trip with son

TEHRAN: Iran has appointed veteran military and political figure Mohsen Rezaei to a senior position within the country’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), replacing Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr and bringing one of the Islamic Republic’s most prominent former Revolutionary Guards commanders back into a central security role. The appointment was announced late Sunday by the office of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s deputy director of communications. No official explanation was immediately provided for the change, and it remains unclear whether Rezaei’s appointment will result in any significant shift in Iran’s security or foreign policy. Rezaei, 71, has extensive experience in Iran’s military, security and political institutions. He served as commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from 1981 until 1997, a period that included most of the Iran-Iraq war. His return to a prominent security position comes at a particularly sensitive time for Iran, amid continuing tensions with the United States and Israel, as well as uncertainty surrounding the security of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. The SNSC is one of Iran’s most important institutions for coordinating national security and foreign policy. Although the council is formally chaired by the elected president, it brings together senior military, intelligence and government officials, along with representatives of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Major strategic decisions ultimately remain subject to the authority of the supreme leader. Zolqadr’s short tenure ends Zolqadr had been appointed secretary of the SNSC only in late March. He took over the position following the death of his predecessor, Ali Larijani, who was killed in an air strike during the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Unlike Zolqadr, Rezaei has maintained a considerably higher public profile over the course of his political career and has frequently spoken on major domestic, economic and foreign-policy issues. In a separate decree issued Sunday, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed Rezaei as his representative to the SNSC. The decree referred to Rezaei’s extensive experience, including his service during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. Hardline politician Saeed Jalili also serves as the supreme leader’s representative on the council. The same decree appointed Zolqadr as Khamenei’s political adviser, suggesting that his departure from the SNSC leadership does not represent a complete withdrawal from the country’s senior political establishment. Rezaei’s long political career Rezaei’s career has extended well beyond the military. After leaving his post as IRGC commander, he served for more than two decades as secretary of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, an influential body involved in resolving disputes between state institutions and advising the supreme leadership. He later entered the executive branch, serving as vice president for economic affairs from 2021 to 2023 during the administration of former President Ebrahim Raisi. Rezaei also holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Tehran. Despite his academic background, much of his professional life has been spent within Iran’s military, security and political establishment. His appointment therefore places an experienced figure with a long history in Iran’s national security apparatus at the center of a council responsible for coordinating some of the country’s most consequential strategic decisions. Strait of Hormuz remains key issue The leadership change comes as Tehran continues discussions over the future of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international energy route. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Saturday that Tehran and Oman were nearing an understanding on a possible new shipping route through the strait. The waterway has faced severe disruption during months of conflict and escalating regional tensions. However, Iranian officials have indicated that reopening the route would depend on broader conditions being met. These reportedly include demands related to US compensation for Iran and an end to what Tehran describes as American threats and aggression. Zolqadr had previously outlined several demands, including an end to US threats against Iran, the cessation of military action against Iran and its regional allies, the lifting of sanctions and blockade measures, and the release of Iranian assets. The demands highlight the wider diplomatic and security challenges facing Tehran as it attempts to manage relations with Washington while dealing with continuing regional instability. Policy direction remains uncertain The replacement of Zolqadr by Rezaei does not necessarily indicate an immediate change in Iran’s foreign-policy direction. The SNSC operates within a broader political system in which the supreme leader has ultimate authority over major matters of national security and international affairs. However, Rezaei’s extensive military background and long involvement in Iran’s senior political institutions could make his appointment significant, particularly as Tehran navigates negotiations, military tensions and economic pressure.

A spent SpaceX rocket stage slammed into the Moon on August 5, travelling at roughly 8,700 kilometres per hour. South Korea’s Danuri orbiter was perfectly positioned to capture the moment. The Korea Aerospace Administration released the images on August 6, beating NASA’s own Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to the first confirmed photos of the impact site. KASA had adjusted Danuri’s orbital path specifically for this event. The manoeuvre let the probe fly around 340 to 350 kilometres above the impact zone near Einstein Crater, capturing images just before and after the collision. Using its high-resolution Lunar Terrain Imager, the satellite photographed the site at an estimated resolution of five metres per pixel. A separate instrument measured changes in surface reflectivity to help gauge how much debris the impact had thrown up. KASA compared the difficulty of the shot to photographing a car crash in Busan from an aircraft flying above Seoul. The comparison highlighted just how precise the timing and positioning needed to be. The rocket stage originally launched in January 2025, carrying Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander and ispace’s RESILIENCE spacecraft toward the Moon. Both spacecraft were part of separate lunar missions at the time. Falcon 9 upper stages are typically destroyed by burning up in Earth’s atmosphere after their missions end. This particular stage, however, had used up nearly all its fuel reaching lunar orbit, leaving it drifting as space debris. Gravitational and solar forces eventually pulled the stage back down, resulting in the lunar impact. SpaceX confirmed it had coordinated with NASA on the disposal process for the spent stage. The company noted that controlled descents are not always possible for upper stages following this kind of trajectory. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman downplayed the event’s significance afterward. Isaacman pointed out that meteoroids strike the lunar surface roughly every hour. He noted that impacts of this scale happen approximately every six days, framing the incident as fairly routine rather than dramatic.