Ali Shamkhani was an Iranian naval officer and politician who served as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran from 2013 to 2023. He had previously served as commander of both the IRGC Navy and the Artesh Navy. Shamkhani was a member of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran and political advisor of the supreme leader of Iran from 2023. He was also one of the political appointees overseeing the Iran–United States negotiations aimed at reaching a nuclear peace agreement.