Iran has appointed Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi, a veteran of its missile and aerospace industries, as defence minister, filling a position left without a permanent head since his predecessor was killed in US-Israeli strikes in February. The appointment places an official closely associated with Iran's weapons production programmes in charge of rebuilding military capabilities after months of conflict.

Parliament approved Akhlaqi on Sunday, October 18, with 237 lawmakers voting in favour and 15 against during a virtual session. The 68-year-old was nominated by President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier this month and succeeds Majid Ebn al-Reza, who had been running the ministry on an interim basis.

Akhlaqi replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed during the opening US-Israeli strikes on February 28. His appointment ends nearly eight months of temporary leadership at the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics, which oversees military procurement, weapons development and much of Iran's defence-industrial infrastructure.

The new minister has spent more than four decades working in Iran's defence sector, including senior positions at the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group and the Aerospace Industries Organization. Both institutions have been associated with Iran's ballistic missile development, an area that has attracted international sanctions and considerable attention from Western governments.

His previous responsibilities are documented in European Union sanctions records, which identify him as a former director of the Defence Industries Organization and the Aerospace Industries Organization. The records describe his involvement in military production and procurement connected to missile and aerospace technologies.

Akhlaqi's background places defence manufacturing at the centre of his new responsibilities. Iran's military infrastructure has faced sustained attacks during the conflict, while the government has sought to restore production capacity and replenish weapons inventories.

Addressing lawmakers before Sunday's vote, Akhlaqi pledged to expand domestic defence production, invest in military research and strengthen cooperation with Iranian private companies. He also identified support for Iran's regional allies, collectively described by Tehran as the Resistance Front, among his priorities.

His remarks included a warning to Washington and Israel against renewed military action. Akhlaqi said another attack would draw an extensive Iranian response and suggested that Tehran had taken additional measures to counter American military capabilities, including the possible use of powerful conventional bombs against Iranian installations.

Those statements came as relations between Washington and Tehran remained strained by military confrontation and economic restrictions. The United States has continued targeting Iranian financial networks, most recently through sanctions against an Iraqi bank and overseas intermediaries accused of facilitating Iranian transactions.

The appointment does not indicate an announced change in Iranian defence doctrine. Akhlaqi is assuming responsibility for a ministry whose industrial capabilities are central to Tehran's military planning, particularly its ability to manufacture missiles, drones and other weapons under sanctions.

His first major responsibility will be translating the government's plans for military reconstruction into production and procurement decisions while Iran continues to face restrictions on access to foreign technology and defence equipment.