Vacant for nearly 8 months! Iran’s new defense minister qualified for arms manufacturing expertise

Iranian lawmakers voted on the 18th to appoint a new defense minister. Mehrdad Akhlaghi, a senior defense official sanctioned by the United Nations, was confirmed to take over from former Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed by a U.S. bomb on the first day of the Middle East conflict at the end of February this year.

According to Iranian state-run television, nearly eight months after the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East, Iranian parliamentarians voted on the 18th to approve Ahlaj to be appointed to the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. According to information released on the Iranian government website, out of a total of 277 votes cast, Akhraj successfully became the new defense minister with 237 votes, capturing more than 80%.

The United States and Israel jointly launched an airstrike on Iran on February 28 this year to detonate conflicts in the Middle East. On the same day, they killed former Defense Minister Nasir Zadeh, Iran's former Supreme Spiritual Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and many senior military commanders.

According to the "Iranian Student News Agency" (ISNA), Akhraj said before the vote in Congress that if he can obtain a vote of confidence from Congress, he will shoulder the important task of leading the Ministry of Defense at this sensitive moment... "Under such circumstances, defending the country requires a correct understanding of the environment, understanding the logic behind the development of the situation, identifying influential trends, and being prepared to deal with various possible future (situations)."

Although Akhlaji has no military rank, he has served in the Ministry of Defense for 42 years and has served as the state-owned arms manufacturing organization "Iran Defense Industries Organization" since 2013. In 2007, Akhlaji was sanctioned by the United Nations for suspected involvement in nuclear or ballistic missile activities.