Politics · Other · 2 hrs ago
Iran parliament approves Mehrdad Akhlaghi as defence minister
Iran’s parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi as defence minister on Sunday, with 237 votes in favour and 15 against.
He takes over after former minister Aziz Nasirzadeh was killed in a US-Israeli strike at the start of the war in February.
Akhlaghi has worked in Iran’s Defence Ministry and related organisations for more than 42 years, focusing on missiles, aerospace and weapons production.
The US and United Nations have sanctioned him over alleged links to Iran’s missile programme.
He says Iran is prepared to respond to a possible US attack, including one involving the powerful “Mother of All Bombs”.
As minister, he plans to speed up defence technology development and strengthen military capabilities, including air defences.
He is also expected to help rebuild Iran’s targeted military-industrial infrastructure during the continuing conflict.
Iran’s parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi as defence minister on October 18.
He received 237 votes in favour and 15 against, with no abstentions, according to The National.
Akhlaghi replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in a US-Israeli air strike in February.
President Masoud Pezeshkian nominated Akhlaghi on October 5.
Akhlaghi warned that Iran was prepared to respond to a possible US attack involving the “Mother of All Bombs”.
- Who
- Mehrdad Akhlaghi was approved as Iran’s defence minister.
- What
- Parliament gave him a vote of confidence to take the post.
- When
- October 18, 2026.
- Where
- Iran.
- Why
- He was nominated to replace Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in February.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Aziz Nasirzadeh was killed in a US-Israeli attack, according to the Straits Times.
President Masoud Pezeshkian nominated Akhlaghi and submitted his name to parliament.
Parliament approved Akhlaghi as defence minister.
- Votes in favour
- 237
- Votes against
- 15, according to The National
- Nomination date
- October 5, 2026
- Predecessor
- Aziz Nasirzadeh
- Predecessor killed
- February 28, according to the Straits Times
4 sources
What people are saying
We have taken the necessary measures for this scenario, and we are at ease; we proceed with our work with full confidence
He ought to be thinking about how to get his forces out of our region safely. If he drops a single bomb, he will have to consider how many of his troops will end up being carried out of the region in a horizontal position
If I receive parliament’s vote of confidence, responsibility for the Ministry of Defence will fall to me at a sensitive juncture
The fathers of bombs are the Iranian people, and they can certainly have a more destructive impact than what the enemy expects on its thoughts, psychology, mindset, and strategies