Akhlaqi replaces Majid Ebn al-Reza, who took over in an interim capacity after then Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh was killed by US-Israeli strikes in February.Akhlaqi has spent decades in Iran's defence industry and has held senior roles in its aerospace and missile sectors. He is subject to US and EU sanctions over his work in Iran's defence sector.
In a program
presented to lawmakers, Akhlaqi pledged to rebuild the country's
military-industrial infrastructure, accelerate the development of defence
technologies and expand cooperation with private-sector companies.
"If the
American enemy makes another miscalculation, the response of the valiant
Iranian people and the fighters of Islam will be surprising and
extensive," he said, adding that Tehran had taken necessary measures to
counter the potential use by the US of its "mother of all bombs"
against Iran.
CNN reported
this week that the US has developed strike plans that could include using the GBU-43/B
Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, also known as the "mother of all
bombs", against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if
President Donald Trump orders renewed combat operations.
The weapon
is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal.
"The US
President should focus on ensuring his forces are withdrawn safely from our
region. If he drops a single bomb, he will have to see how many of his
troops end up being carried out of the region in a horizontal position," Akhlaqi
said.
