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Mehrdad Ahlagi Ketapchi is a defense industry expert who has served as an executive at Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group and Aerospace Industries Organization.
(Istanbul = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Dong-ho = Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported on the 18th (local time) that Mehrdad Ahlagi Ketapchi was appointed as Iran's new defense minister.
On this day, the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) approved the nomination proposal for Minister Ketapchi submitted by President Massoud Fezeshkian.
Minister Ketapchi is a defense industry expert who served as an executive at the state-run defense industry company Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group (SBIG) and the Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) under the Iranian Ministry of Defense.
Minister Ketapchi met with reporters at the National Assembly and said, "The terrorist U.S. president will have to think about how to safely withdraw his troops from the region (Middle East)," SNN news agency reported.
Minister Ketapchi also warned the United States, "If even a single bomb is dropped on Iran, American soldiers will leave the region lying down."

At the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee audit held at the Embassy in Poland, the issue of the decline in diplomatic trust following the breach of the non-disclosed agreement on the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war and measures to prevent recurrence were discussed. In addition, questions were asked about the circumstances surrounding Russia's participation in the Eastern Economic Forum and the constraints on Korea-Russia relations.

Large-scale protests broke out across France demanding increased living costs and improved educational environments, and major cities, including Paris, were thrown into chaos with looting and arson. More than 1,800 people were arrested and damages to retailers amounted to hundreds of millions of euros.

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance pointed to immigration policy as the cause of anti-government protests in France and called for stronger border controls. Across France, protests against high prices and educational conditions are intensifying and violence continues.

South Korean diplomat Yoon Ji-wan stated that Seoul and Kyiv had a tacit agreement to keep North Korean POW repatriations confidential. The deal was breached when President Zelenskyy disclosed the matter at the U.N., causing diplomatic strain.

The BBC reported that an 80-meter luxury ship and a number of yachts were spotted near North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un's Wonsan villa through satellite image analysis. Experts presumed that this was a private ship for Chairman Kim's family and pointed out the luxurious lifestyle that contrasted with North Korea's economic difficulties.

South Korea and Ukraine agreed to keep the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war private, but President Zelenskyy's sudden disclosure caused a diplomatic conflict. The Embassy in Ukraine stated that Ukraine was unable to deny the non-disclosure agreement.