Iran's parliament approves Mehrdad Akhlaqi as minister of defence

Iran's parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaqi ​Ketabchi as defence minister on ​Sunday, ending months of interim leadership ‌at the ​ministry and placing a former defence sector veteran in charge of the country's defence production and procurement apparatus.

Akhlaqi replaces Majid ‌Ebn al-Reza, who took over in an interim capacity after then Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh was killed by US-Israeli strikes in February. Akhlaqi has spent decades in Iran's defence industry and ‌has held senior roles in its aerospace and missile sectors. He is subject to ‌US and EU sanctions over his work in Iran's defence sector.

In a programme presented to lawmakers, Akhlaqi pledged to rebuild the country's military-industrial infrastructure, accelerate the development of defence technologies and expand cooperation with private-sector companies. "If ⁠the American ​enemy makes another ⁠miscalculation, the response of the valiant Iranian people and the fighters of Islam will be surprising and extensive," ⁠he said, adding that Tehran had taken necessary measures to counter the potential use by the US ​of its "mother of all bombs" against Iran.

CNN reported this week that the US ⁠has developed strike plans that could include using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, also known as ⁠the "mother ​of all bombs", against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders renewed combat operations. The weapon is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal.

"The ⁠US President should focus on ensuring his forces are withdrawn safely from our region. If ⁠he drops a ⁠single bomb, he will have to see how many of his troops end up being carried out of the region in a ‌horizontal position," Akhlaqi ‌said.