Iran’s new defense chief warns US of ‘enormous damage’ if attacks resume

Mehrdad Akhlaghi wins parliament’s backing, 8 months after predecessor was killed in opening US-Israeli strikes; UN sanctioned him in 2007 over alleged nuclear, missile activity

By AFP Today, 5:20 pm
Iranian defense minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi delivers a statement following a vote in the Iranian parliament approving his appointment, on October 18, 2026. (Screenshot: X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

TEHRAN, Iran — Newly appointed Iranian defense minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi threatened on Sunday to inflict “enormous damage” on the United States and its allies in the Middle East if Washington resumes its military campaign against the country.

“People can rest assured that they will most likely not dare to attack us,” Akhlaghi told reporters shortly after securing parliament’s vote of confidence. “If they (the US) do, they themselves and the region will suffer enormous damage.”

Iranian lawmakers had earlier approved Akhlaghi’s appointment as the country’s new defense minister, after his predecessor was killed on the first day of the war with the United States.

“Members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (parliament) today gave a vote of confidence to Mehrdad Akhlaghi, the nominee for minister of defense and armed forces logistics,” state television reported, nearly eight months after the initial US-Israeli strikes that sparked the conflict.

According to the government website, Akhlaghi “was elected to the post with 237 votes in favor,” out of a total of 277 votes cast.

The veteran defense official replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack on a leadership compound on February 28, alongside former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders.

“If I receive parliament’s vote of confidence, responsibility for the Ministry of Defense will fall to me at a sensitive juncture,” Akhlaghi said before the vote, according to the ISNA news agency.

“Under such circumstances, defending the country requires an accurate understanding of the environment, an understanding of the logic behind developments, the identification of influential trends, and preparedness to face different possible futures,” he added.

Although he does not hold a military rank, Akhlaghi has worked in the defense ministry for 42 years and has headed the Iranian Defense Industries Organization, the state’s weapons manufacturer, since 2013.

Motorbikes drive past Iranian missiles and banners showing portraits of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, center, and the late armed forces commanders and nuclear scientists, who were killed in Israeli and US strikes, displayed in a military exhibition commemorating the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war at Baharestan Square, in Tehran, September 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The United Nations sanctioned Akhlaghi in 2007 over his alleged involvement in nuclear or ballistic missile activities.

read more: