Iran's Parliament Confirms UN-Sanctioned Missile Industry Chief Akhlaghi as Defense Minister, 237-15

Iran has a new defense minister, and he comes straight out of its ballistic missile industry.

Parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi on Sunday, Oct. 18, by a vote of 237 in favor and 15 against, with no abstentions. Lawmakers have met online since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on Feb. 28. President Masoud Pezeshkian nominated him on Oct. 5.

A missile man replaces a dead minister

Akhlaghi succeeds Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in the opening U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. Those strikes also killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a number of senior commanders. Pezeshkian then named Majid Ebn al-Reza as caretaker. Ebn al-Reza will now serve as Akhlaghi's deputy.

Akhlaghi is 68. Iran International, an outlet critical of the Iranian government, reports he was born in 1958, studied chemical engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology and earned a master's in strategic management at Malek Ashtar University of Technology, which is affiliated with the Defense Ministry.

Pezeshkian said Akhlaghi has more than 42 years in the Defense Ministry and related organizations. State media describe his core expertise as ballistic missiles, solid-fuel propulsion, aerospace technology and military-industrial production.

He previously led the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group, the Aerospace Industries Organization (from 2014) and the Defense Industries Organization.

Sanctioned by the UN and Washington

The UN listed Akhlaghi in 2007 as an individual involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities, citing his role as head of the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group. That group was designated under Security Council Resolution 1737 for its part in the ballistic missile program. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned him in 2008.

Iranian state media gave no hint that either sanction was a problem. The government statement on his confirmation praised his credentials and his proposed program. His plan, per the government, is to restructure the ministry, speed up defense technology development and upgrade military capabilities.

His defense plans were approved beforehand by senior military authorities, Pezeshkian and parliament's Commission on National Security and Foreign Policy.

The job is mostly about rebuilding. U.S. and Israeli strikes have heavily targeted Iran's military-industrial infrastructure, and Akhlaghi is expected to rebuild and expand it.

A threat aimed at Trump

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Sunday's online session, Akhlaghi addressed reports of U.S. strike plans. CNN has reported that Washington has developed options potentially involving the "Mother of All Bombs" against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites.

"We have taken the necessary measures for this scenario, and we are at ease," Akhlaghi said, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

He then spoke directly to President Trump. "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," he said.

Pezeshkian struck a more defensive tone. "The Islamic Republic of Iran will not be the instigator of aggression against any country but will defend the territorial integrity of the country strongly and to the death against any aggression," he said.

The war around him

The appointment lands in a conflict with no settlement in sight. Xinhua describes Iran's response to the Feb. 28 strikes as waves of missile and drone attacks on Israel and U.S. bases, plus a tighter grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said this week that Tehran's proposal to reopen the strait within seven days remains on the table. Brent crude settled at $109.86 a barrel, up $3.94 or 3.7%, its highest level since May 19.

The Gulf is widening as a theater. Iran-aligned Houthis have attacked Saudi Arabia since a truce in Yemen collapsed. Saudi Civil Defense issued a danger alert for the southern Najran region on Sunday, then said the threat had passed. Egypt's parliament is set to continue debate Monday, Oct. 19, on whether to authorize support for Saudi Arabia. Egypt has said it is prepared to help defend the kingdom if asked. Qatar's stock market fell 2% to its lowest close since April 2020.

In the U.S., Trump defended the war in an interview with Fox News at a Saturday rally. He called Iran "the number one state sponsor of terror" and acknowledged the political cost of higher fuel prices. "I thought oil would be much higher when I did it, and I knew that's not good politically," he said. "But I also, you know, I don't view things politically."

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., raised concerns about the conflict's growing reach on "Fox News Sunday."

Akhlaghi must show whether he can rebuild missile and aerospace production while those sites remain targets. Egypt's parliament is due to continue debating Saudi support on Monday. Araqchi's seven-day Hormuz offer is still unanswered in the public record.