Iran's Shamkhani Steps Down as Top Security Official

Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani stands next to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi before a meeting in Tehran, Iran, December 6, 2021. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani stands next to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi before a meeting in Tehran, Iran, December 6, 2021. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Iran's Shamkhani Steps Down as Top Security Official

Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani stands next to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi before a meeting in Tehran, Iran, December 6, 2021. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani stands next to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi before a meeting in Tehran, Iran, December 6, 2021. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Ali Shamkhani, long-time ally of Iran's supreme leader, has stepped down as the country's top security official, Iranian state media said on Monday. 

An Iranian insider said the change in leadership at the Supreme National Security Council was unlikely to have an impact on its policies and that Shamkhani might be considered for a "more important position" in Iran. 

He did not elaborate, but with a parliamentary election due in February - when analysts believe the turnout will be low amid mounting political dissent and growing economic hardships - such moves of senior personnel are being closely watched. 

A Revolutionary Guards commander, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, has replaced Shamkhani, state media said, who served as chief of the Guards Joint Staff in the 2000s and later as head of its strategic center. 

Active across the political spectrum in the country for decades, Shamkhani was appointed the secretary of the security council in 2013 and served as defense minister under two-term reformist president Mohammad Khatami from 1997 to 2005. 

Born in Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan province in 1955, Shamkhani joined Iran's Guards shortly after its formation in 1979. He served as deputy commander of the Guards from 1981 to 1988.  



Trump Diagnosed with Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

Makeup partially covers the back of the right hand of US President Donald Trump as he shakes hands with Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 16, 2025. (Reuters)
Makeup partially covers the back of the right hand of US President Donald Trump as he shakes hands with Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 16, 2025. (Reuters)
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Trump Diagnosed with Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

Makeup partially covers the back of the right hand of US President Donald Trump as he shakes hands with Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 16, 2025. (Reuters)
Makeup partially covers the back of the right hand of US President Donald Trump as he shakes hands with Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 16, 2025. (Reuters)

The White House said on Thursday that US President Donald Trump is experiencing swelling in his lower legs and bruising on his right hand, after photographs emerged of Trump with swollen ankles and makeup covering the afflicted part of his hand.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, reading a letter from Trump's doctor at a press briefing, said both ailments were benign. His leg swelling is from a "common" vein condition, and his hand is bruised from shaking so many hands, she told reporters.

The disclosure sought to put to rest a raft of internet rumors that the 79-year-old Trump might be suffering from a serious ailment based on the photographic evidence.

After Leavitt's briefing, the White House released the letter from a US Navy officer who is Trump's physician, Sean Barbabella. It said Trump underwent a suite of tests about the issues.

Barbabella said an ultrasound on the president's legs "revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70."

The letter said there was no evidence Trump had contracted deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease.

Additional exams identified no signs of heart failure, kidney impairment, or a systemic illness, Barbabella said.

Leavitt told reporters Trump was not experiencing discomfort due to the condition.

Barbabella also said that Trump had bruising on the back of his right hand.

He described this as "consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen."

"President Trump remains in excellent health," he said.

Kwame Amankwah, a physician who is chief of vascular surgery at the University of Connecticut in Hartford, said chronic venous insufficiency is usually an issue with the lower legs in which the veins have problems sending blood from the legs back to the heart.

It is usually treated with compression stockings and leg elevation, he said.

"Even if he doesn’t have heart disease, the condition needs to be addressed. If it’s not managed with compression stockings and elevation, severe swelling and ulcers can develop, warranting more significant medical interventions," Amankwah said.

Todd Berland, a physician who is director of outpatient vascular interventions at NYU Langone Health, said chronic venous insufficiency “has no overall effect on life expectancy. It's a quality-of-life issue, not a quantity of life issue.”

Trump underwent an extensive physical examination on April 11 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Washington. It said Trump had a normal heart rhythm and no major health problems.