TEHRAN, July 25 — When Iranian state-aligned media recently raised the prospect of a ballistic missile strike on a foreign capital, the threat didn’t come out of nowhere. That messaging almost certainly traces back to a single institution: Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, or SNSC — the country’s highest decision-making body on defense and national security.
Established by the Constitution of the Islamic Republic after the 1979 revolution, the SNSC is chaired by the president — currently Ebrahim Raisi, who has held the role since August 2021 — but ultimate authority rests with the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. The council operates by consensus, but at the end of the day, Khamenei gets the final word.
Who sits on the council — and why that matters
The permanent members include the heads of the legislative and judicial branches, the chief of the Armed Forces, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the ministers of foreign affairs, intelligence, and defense. That is a concentrated slice of Iran’s power structure. So when the SNSC makes a call — on missile programs, nuclear enrichment, or foreign military support — it carries the weight of the entire state.
What does the council actually do? It formulates defense and security policies, approves the direction of Iran’s ballistic missile program, and authorizes the provision of foreign military support.
In practice, that has meant coordinating war efforts during the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), overseeing the 2022 decision to supply drones to Russia, and guiding Iran’s nuclear diplomacy.
From the JCPOA to 60% enrichment
The SNSC was deeply involved in the negotiations with the P5+1 that led to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear deal. After the United States withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, the council has directed Iran’s nuclear escalation — including enriching uranium to 60% purity. It’s the body that effectively decides how far and how fast Iran pushes its nuclear program.
One short, blunt point: the SNSC is not a communications office. It is not directly involved in media messaging.
But it wields heavy influence over state-aligned outlets. So when a threat about ballistic missiles appears in Iranian media, the practical upshot is that it likely reflects internal SNSC discussions. Here’s what that means for ordinary readers: no other body in Iran would publicly threaten another nation’s capital without authorization from this council.
The threat is credible because the SNSC is the only institution with the authority to make it.
What to watch next
Because the council’s decisions are always subordinate to the Supreme Leader’s final say, any major move — whether a new nuclear enrichment target, a missile test, or a response to international pressure — will first be hashed out among the permanent members. The composition of the SNSC hasn’t changed, but the global security landscape has. Understanding who sits around that table, and what powers they wield, is the key to predicting Iran’s next move.
