Iran's new defense minister threatens 'enormous damage' if US attacks

Iran's new defense minister, Mehrdad Akhlaghi, threatened on Sunday to inflict "enormous damage" on the United States and its allies in the Middle East if Washington resumes its military campaign against Iran. He spoke to reporters shortly after parliament approved his appointment.

Who is Iran's new defense minister?

Mehrdad Akhlaghi is a veteran defense official who has worked in the defense ministry for 42 years. He has headed the Iranian Defense Industries Organization, the state's weapons manufacturer, since 2013. He holds no military rank. He replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack on February 28.

The United Nations sanctioned Akhlaghi in 2007 over his alleged involvement in nuclear or ballistic missile activities.

What did Iran's new defense minister say about a US attack?

"People can rest assured that they will most likely not dare to attack us," Akhlaghi told reporters shortly after securing parliament's vote of confidence. "If they (the US) do, they themselves and the region will suffer enormous damage."

How did parliament vote on Akhlaghi's appointment?

Iranian lawmakers approved the appointment nearly eight months after the initial US-Israeli strikes that sparked the war. State television reported that parliament gave a vote of confidence to the nominee for minister of defense and armed forces logistics.

According to the government website, Akhlaghi was elected with 237 votes in favor out of 277 cast. His predecessor was killed on the first day of the war, in a US-Israeli attack on a leadership compound that also killed former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders.

What did Akhlaghi say before the confidence vote?

"If I receive parliament's vote of confidence, responsibility for the Ministry of Defense will fall to me at a sensitive juncture," Akhlaghi said before the vote, according to the ISNA news agency.

"Under such circumstances, defending the country requires an accurate understanding of the environment, an understanding of the logic behind developments, the identification of influential trends, and preparedness to face different possible futures," he added.