Iran Appoints Missile Industry Veteran as Defence Minister

Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi, 68, has been appointed Iran’s defence minister as the war with the United States and Israel is expected to intensify. Parliament approved him on October 18, with 237 votes in favour and 15 against. He replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed on the war’s opening day alongside other senior figures, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Majid Ebn-e Reza, who had served as acting minister, will become Akhlaghi’s deputy. Akhlaghi takes charge of a ministry tasked with rebuilding and expanding military-industrial infrastructure heavily targeted by US and Israeli strikes. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country would not initiate aggression but would defend its territorial integrity. He cited Akhlaghi’s more than 42 years of experience in the Defence Ministry and associated organisations. State media describe his expertise as including ballistic missiles, solid-fuel propulsion, aerospace technology and military-industrial production. He previously led the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group, the Aerospace Industries Organization and the Defence Industries Organization; he and these entities face US sanctions, and Akhlaghi is also under UN sanctions. Reports associate Akhlaghi with development of the Sejjil and Zolfaghar ballistic missile families, Almas precision-guided missiles and Yasin guided bombs, as well as space-launch and research-rocket programmes. Iran’s Defence Ministry says his nomination reflects a need to increase the quantity and quality of strategic weapons, particularly missiles and drones. While the US says it has destroyed most of Iran’s military-industrial capacity, Tehran says it retains significant capabilities and has upgraded weapons based on its wartime experience. Akhlaghi says he has consulted senior commanders, including IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi. His reported priorities include accelerating military-industrial development, strengthening air defences, adopting emerging technologies through public- and private-sector cooperation, improving service members’ welfare and expanding international military cooperation. In his first remarks as minister, he warned US President Donald Trump that Iran was prepared for further conflict and threatened that US forces would suffer if Washington attacked.

Iran’s parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi as the country’s new defence minister on Oct 18, according to Iranian state media. He received 237 votes in favour out of 277 votes cast. Akhlaghi replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack on a leadership compound on Feb 28, alongside former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders. The report says the appointment came nearly eight months after the initial US-Israeli strikes that sparked the conflict. Before the vote, Akhlaghi described the role as a responsibility arising at a “sensitive juncture”. He said defending Iran required an accurate understanding of the environment and the forces shaping events, as well as preparation for possible future threats. Akhlaghi is a veteran defence official, though he does not hold a military rank. He has worked in the defence ministry for 42 years and has led the Iranian Defence Industries Organisation, the state weapons manufacturer, since 2013. The United Nations sanctioned him in 2007 over alleged involvement in nuclear or ballistic missile activities. The article reports the appointment and Akhlaghi’s background without offering additional assessment of the vote or its likely consequences.

Iran’s parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi as defence minister on Sunday, ending several months of interim leadership at the ministry. He succeeds Majid Ebn al-Reza, who had served in the role temporarily after former Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh was killed in US-Israeli strikes in February. Akhlaqi is a veteran of Iran’s defence industry, with decades of experience and senior positions in the country’s aerospace and missile sectors. The United States and the European Union have sanctioned him for his work in Iran’s defence sector. In a programme presented to lawmakers, Akhlaqi said he would rebuild Iran’s military-industrial infrastructure, speed up the development of defence technologies and broaden cooperation with private companies. His comments also included warnings directed at the United States. He said Iran had taken measures to counter the possible use of the US “mother of all bombs” against the country and warned that any further American attack would prompt a wide response. He urged US President Donald Trump to ensure the safe withdrawal of US forces from the region, threatening that American troops could suffer casualties if the United States dropped a bomb. The article places Akhlaqi’s statements in the context of a CNN report that the United States had developed strike plans that could involve the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb. The report said possible targets could include Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if Trump ordered renewed combat operations. The weapon, also called the “mother of all bombs,” is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal. The article reports the appointment and the competing military warnings without offering further details on the parliamentary vote or the status of any US decision to resume combat.

Iran’s parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi as the country’s new defence minister, voting 237 to 15 in favour of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s nominee. Ketabchi succeeds Brig Gen Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in a US-Israeli air strike at the start of the war in February; Brig Gen Majid Ebn Al Reza had served as caretaker minister. A veteran defence-industry official, Ketabchi previously headed Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organisation and Defence Industries Organisation. The US and UN have sanctioned him over alleged involvement in Iran’s ballistic missile programme, and the UN listed him in 2007 in connection with the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group, which develops and produces solid-propellant ballistic missiles. In presenting his programme to parliament, Ketabchi pledged to restructure the Defence Ministry, accelerate defence technology development and upgrade Iran’s military capabilities. He also said Tehran had taken measures to prepare for a possible US attack involving the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, commonly called the “Mother of All Bombs.” CNN reported that the US had developed strike plans that could include the weapon against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders renewed combat operations. The bomb is the largest non-nuclear weapon in the US arsenal. Ketabchi warned Trump that an attack would put US forces in the region at risk, saying Washington should focus on withdrawing them safely. He claimed the prospect of Iranian retaliation had deterred the US from acting and warned that Iran would respond if threats became actual action. Separately, Iranian Army deputy executive co-ordinator Brig Gen Alireza Sheikh said military equipment had been upgraded and forces were ready to respond to threats. He described the Iranian people as capable of having a more destructive impact than the enemy expects on its thinking and strategy.