Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi, a veteran of Iran's missile industry with ties to the Revolutionary Guards, was appointed as Iran's defense minister on Sunday. Ketabchi took over the key post after his predecessor, Aziz Nasirzadeh, was killed in the war with the United States and Israel on February 28. Since Nasirzadeh's death, Majid Ebn al-Reza has served as the acting minister, according to Iran International.
Iran's Parliament approved Akhlaghi's appointment as Minister of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics on Sunday, with 237 lawmakers voting in favour and 15 against his nomination, out of 277 votes cast.
President Masoud Pezeshkian had nominated Akhlaghi for the position on October 5. Before the vote, lawmakers reviewed his proposed plans, while parliamentary committees on national security and foreign policy, as well as industry and mining, presented their assessments.
Who is Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi?
'Architect of Guards' missiles'
In its profile of Akhlaghi, Iran International described the new Iranian Defence Minister as the "architect of Guards' missiles."
Ketabchi was reportedly born on September 10, 1958, in Rasht, northern Iran.
The report claimed that Akhlaghi, unlike several previous defence ministers who rose through military command positions, built his career inside Iran's weapons manufacturing establishment, overseeing industrial organisations involved in missile production, aerospace technologies and military procurement.
Akhlaghi Ketabchi's education
Akhlaghi studied chemical engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology, according to Iran International.
He later earned a master's degree in strategic management from Malek Ashtar University of Technology, an institution affiliated with the Defence Ministry.
Akhlaghi Ketabchi's career
Akhlaghi Ketabchi's education entered Iran's defence industries in the early 1980s. He spent more than four decades in technical, industrial and managerial positions, according to an Iranian state-linked media.
Much of his career involved a "significant component of Iran's missile capabilities" -- solid-fuel missile propulsion systems-- which allow missiles to remain stored for extended periods and reduce preparation time before launch.
He was also involved in managing industrial facilities associated with ballistic missile development.
Akhlaghi earlier headed the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group, a subsidiary of the Aerospace Industries Organization involved in Iran's ballistic missile program. In November 2014, Akhlaghi was appointed as managing director of the organisation.
He later became head of the Defence Industries Organisation, which produces conventional weapons and supplies military equipment to Iran's armed forces.
Akhlaghi's role in the Fateh-110 missile project
Akhlaghi worked closely with Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, a founder of the Revolutionary Guards' missile program who is widely known as the father of Iran's ballistic missile program, Iran International reported.
Moghaddam oversaw the development of the Revolutionary Guards' missile arsenal before he was killed in a November 2011 explosion at a military facility near Tehran.
Iran's IRGC-linked Tasnim news agency, citing The Eternal Man, a biography by Masoumeh Sepehri, reported that Akhlaghi approved $10 million in equipment purchases and production facilities for the Fateh-110 missile despite uncertainty over whether the project would succeed.
Sanctions against Akhlaghi Ketabchi
Akhlaghi Ketabchi's name has appeared on international sanctions lists since 2007, reflecting his longstanding involvement in institutions central to Iran's ballistic missile program, Iran International reported.
The United Nations Security Council included him in Resolution 1747, adopted on March 24, 2007, which identified him as the head of the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group.
The group had previously been sanctioned over its involvement in Iran's ballistic missile program.
His name was also included in UN sanctions lists following the reimposition of international sanctions in September 2025.
The US Treasury Department also placed Akhlaghi under sanctions in 2008. US State Department identified him as a senior figure in missile-related industrial operations and described his participation in negotiations to purchase equipment for the missile industry.
In 2020, the first Trump administration sanctioned him in connection with his position as director of the Defense Industries Organization.
Britain also imposed sanctions on him in 2023, citing his involvement in activities connected to the development of systems capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Akhlaghi was also sanctioned by the European Union, which identified his senior roles within both the Defense Industries Organization and the Aerospace Industries Organization.
Iran prepared to counter 'Mother of All Bombs'
Iran's newly appointed Defence Minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi warned US President Donald Trump against launching further attacks on Iran. He asserted that Tehran has taken all necessary measures to counter the “Mother of All Bombs” and is confident in its military preparedness.
“We have taken all necessary measures to counter the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ and are confident in our preparations. We are carrying out our duties with complete confidence,” Akhlaghi said, as reported by Press TV.
Warning Trump against further escalation, he said, as per ANI, “Trump should focus on getting his forces out of the region safely. If he drops a bomb, he should consider how many of his troops might have to be carried out in body bags. If he follows through on his threats, he will have to face the consequences.”
Addressing Parliament ahead of the vote, he said, “If the American-Zionist enemy once again makes a miscalculation, the response of the Iranian nation and the fighters of Islam will be surprising and extensive."