Shirazi held the position of head of the Military Office within the
Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran starting in 1989. In this role, he facilitated communication and coordination between the top echelons of Iran's military, including the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the regular armed forces, and Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei. Analysts described him as a central figure in Iran's security decision-making process. Shirazi as a shadowy "gatekeeper" who played a central role in maintaining the Supreme Leader's absolute grip on power. As the primary liaison between the military and the Supreme Leader, he was frequently accused of bypassing traditional government oversight to execute hardline security policies that suppressed domestic dissent. Outside of this article's scope, opposition figures have pointed to his influence in the selection of radical military commanders and his involvement in the strategic planning of proxy conflicts across the Middle East, which led to international sanctions and increased regional instability. Furthermore, his office was often criticized for its lack of transparency, acting as a "black box" where critical national security decisions were made without public accountability or legislative review. == Assassination ==