# Who is Mehrdad Akhlaghi, Iran’s new tech-focused defence minister?

https://mins.news/en/item/105092

- Al Jazeera, 2026-10-18 12:00 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/18/who-is-mehrdad-akhlagh-irans-new-tech-focused-defence-minister?traffic_source=rss

> Iran’s parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi as defence minister. His expertise includes ballistic missiles, aerospace technology and defence-industrial production. He will oversee rebuilding and expanding Iran’s military-industrial infrastructure amid expectations that the war with the United States could escalate.

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- [Iran's parliament approves Mehrdad Akhlaqi as defence minister](https://mins.news/en/item/104977) — Reuters, 2026-10-18
- [Iranian parliament approves Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi as defense minister](https://mins.news/en/item/105640) — CGTN, 2026-10-18