Iran Appoints Mehrdad Akhlachi Ketabchi as Defense Minister
Iran's parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlachi Ketabchi as defense minister, who immediately warned the United States against striking Iranian nuclear and energy sites.
The Iranian parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlachi Ketabchi as defense minister on Sunday, filling a vacancy that had been under interim leadership since the death of former minister Aziz Nasirzadeh during US-Israeli strikes in February.
Akhlachi, a veteran of the aerospace and missile sectors currently under US and EU sanctions, replaces interim minister Majid Ebn al-Reza. In his program to lawmakers, he pledged to accelerate defense technology development, rebuild military-industrial infrastructure, and expand cooperation with the private sector.
Following his appointment, Akhlachi issued warnings to the United States amid reports that the US has developed strike plans using GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bombs against Iranian energy and nuclear sites. He stated that any such attack would result in an "extensive" response and warned that US troops could be "carried out of the region in a horizontal position" if the US drops a single bomb.
