Who is Mehrdad Akhlaghi, Iran’s new defense minister?

Iran’s parliament on Sunday approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi as the country’s new Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, ending months of interim leadership.

Lawmakers granted him a vote of confidence with 237 votes in favor, 15 against and no abstentions out of 277 ballots cast during an open session.

He succeeds Major General Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in US-‘Israeli’ strikes on Tehran in late February at the start of what Iranian officials call the “40-day war.”

President Masoud Pezeshkian nominated Akhlaghi earlier this month under Article 133 of the constitution, submitting his name to Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

The post had been held on an acting basis by Brigadier General Majid Ebn al-Reza since early March.

Who is Mehrdad Akhlaghi?

Akhlaghi, a longtime senior official in the Defense Ministry with deep roots in Iran’s military-industrial complex, previously headed the Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), the body overseeing much of the country’s missile and aerospace production.

Born on September 10, 1958 in Rasht, Akhlaghi rose through technical and managerial ranks in defense industries over more than four decades.

In 2014, then-Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan appointed him managing director of the AIO, citing his experience “from the lowest to the highest managerial levels” in aerospace and related industries.

He earlier led the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group (SBIG), an entity linked to ballistic missile work.

Iranian officials describe him as a strategic industrial manager who has received multiple commendations, including from the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, for contributions to missile and weapons development.

Western governments have long sanctioned Akhlaghi over his roles.

The UN Security Council listed him in 2007 as head of SBIG for involvement in Iran’s ballistic missile program; the designation was later lifted and then reimposed in 2025.

The United States sanctioned him in connection with the Defense Industries Organization and conventional arms activities, while the European Union has also targeted him as a director of the AIO and related bodies.
In appearances before parliament in mid-October, Akhlaghi outlined a 16-point program focused on restructuring the ministry, accelerating production of new defense technologies within six months, strengthening air defenses, maintaining supply-chain stability, and improving housing, healthcare and welfare for armed forces personnel.

“Sanctions have not prevented defense production and support,” he told lawmakers, adding that the ministry would use “any method and measure” to equip the forces and that “we hold no vision other than that of our martyred Imam and today’s Supreme Leader.”

He also stressed priority attention to missile, drone and other advanced systems in line with recent combat needs.

Senior military figures quickly endorsed the nomination.

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Ali Abdollahi called Akhlaghi “a well-deserved nominee” after meeting him, citing his defense-industry experience as suited to current requirements for indigenous production, technological development and logistical support.

The confirmation comes as Iran continues to emphasize self-reliance in its defense sector amid the ongoing war and renewed international sanctions.