First Statement: Stark Warning to Washington

In his first remarks after winning parliament's approval, Akhlaghi immediately issued a stark warning to Washington, saying a possible attack on Iran would bring massive consequences for the United States and the Middle East region.

'If the US attacks us, they themselves and this region will suffer very great damage,' Akhlaghi told reporters. In another statement, he taunted President Donald Trump: 'The US president must think of getting his forces out of our region in one piece. If he drops one bomb, he must see how many of his troops he will have to evacuate horizontally.'

Speaking before parliament ahead of the vote, Akhlaghi had stressed that Iran would deliver a 'surprising and extensive' response if the 'American-Zionist enemy' miscalculated again, and that Washington and its allies would bear responsibility for the regional and international consequences of any new aggression.

The backdrop: Trump has recently discussed the option of striking Iran's underground Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility, including possible use of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, known as the 'Mother of All Bombs' — not a nuclear weapon, but of enormous explosive power. Akhlaghi expressed confidence that the threat of Iranian retaliation would make Washington reconsider any continuation of military attacks.

Approved 237 of 277 Parliament Members

Iran's parliament on Sunday (18/10/2026) approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi as the country's new Defense Minister. According to AFP and Iranian state media, Akhlaghi won 237 votes of support out of 277 in the Majlis vote.

He was nominated by President Masoud Pezeshkian on 5 October 2026 to fill the post left vacant by his predecessor, Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes in February 2026, on the first day of a war that later lasted 12 days.

Akhlaghi is a veteran defense official. He is reported to have played roles in developing several Iranian ballistic missile families — including the Sejjil and Zolfaghar — as well as precision weapons such as the Almas missile and Yasin guided bomb, plus expertise in space launchers. For his defense-sector work, he is under US and EU sanctions.