Iran’s Parliament Approves Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi as Defence Minister

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Iran's parliament has approved Mehrdad Akhlaqi as minister of defence.

Iran’s parliament has approved Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi as defence minister, ending months of interim leadership at the ministry, state broadcaster IRIB reported on Sunday.

Akhlaqi received 237 votes in favour and 15 against, with no abstentions, out of 277 votes cast during a parliamentary session held via video conference.

Lawmakers voted after hearing arguments from supporters and opponents of Akhlaqi and reviewing his plans for the Defence Ministry.

He replaces Majid Ebn al-Reza, who took over in an interim capacity after then Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh was killed in US-Israeli strikes in February.

In a programme presented to parliament, Akhlaqi pledged to rebuild Iran’s military-industrial infrastructure, accelerate the development of defence technologies and expand cooperation with private-sector companies.

A veteran of Iran’s defence industry, Akhlaqi has held senior positions in the country’s aerospace and missile sectors. He is subject to US and EU sanctions over his work in Iran’s defence industry.



PUKMEDIA