Iran's parliament on Sunday gave a vote of confidence to Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi as Minister of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics. Media reported that 237 lawmakers voted in favour and 15 against. Parliament has met online since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on 28 February.
Akhlaghi replaces former defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in US and Israeli strikes on the first day of the war. According to media reports, the ministry had been run on an interim basis by Majid Ebn-e Reza, who will now serve as Akhlaghi's deputy.
The 68-year-old has spent more than 42 years in Iran's defence ministry and related bodies and is regarded as a specialist in ballistic missiles, solid-fuel propulsion and aerospace technology. He previously headed the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group, the Aerospace Industries Organization and the Defence Industries Organization. Media reports said the United States sanctioned him 19 years ago and that his name also appears in UN Security Council Resolution 1747.
President Masoud Pezeshkian told lawmakers that US sanctions on Akhlaghi and his presence on an "assassination list" showed he was qualified for the job. In his first comments as minister, Akhlaghi referred to the Trump administration's threat to use the "mother of all bombs" and said Iran had "made preparations", media reported. Iran is Afghanistan's western neighbour.
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