Photo via The Straits Times

Iran's parliament approves Mehrdad Akhlaqi as minister of defence

Read the original at The Straits Times ↗
Cite

The Straits Times. (2026, October 18). Iran's parliament approves Mehrdad Akhlaqi as minister of defence. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/irans-parliament-approves-mehrdad-akhlaqi-as-minister-of-defence

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Straits Times · collected 2026-10-18 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

Iran's parliament appointed Mehrdad Akhlaqi as minister of defence on October 18, following an interim period led by Majid Ebn al-Reza after Aziz Nasirzadeh’s death in February. Akhlaqi, who has extensive experience in Iran's defense industry, pledged to strengthen military-industrial capabilities and enhance cooperation with private companies. He also warned against potential US aggression, threatening severe retaliation if the United States uses its most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the region.
Written by AI on 2026-10-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 18, 2026, Iran's parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi as the new minister of defence, ending months of interim leadership following the death of his predecessor, Aziz Nasirzadeh, in U.S.-Israeli strikes. Akhlaqi, a long-time veteran of Iran’s defense industry and former leader in aerospace and missile sectors, pledged to rebuild military infrastructure and develop advanced technologies. He warned that if the "American enemy" missteps again, Tehran would respond with significant force, suggesting preparations against potential threats like the U.S.'s "mother of all bombs." The appointment was confirmed by a majority vote of 237 out of 277 lawmakers, solidifying Iran's stance in its ongoing conflict with the United States.

Written for “Iran's New Defence Minister Approved” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Iran's New Defence Minister Approved
Politics · 4 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Iran's Parliament approves Mehrdad Akhlaqi as Minister of Defence Same event
The Hindu
Hedges 1 of 8 claims Outlet record 77/100
Who is Mehrdad Akhlagh, Iran’s new tech-focused defence minister? Same event
Al Jazeera
Hedges 4 of 24 claims Outlet record 60/100
Iran's new Defence Minister Akhlaghi threatens 'enormous damage' if U.S. attacks Same event
The Hindu
Hedges 2 of 11 claims Outlet record 77/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
9
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
1 of 9 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
The Straits Times's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
4
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Straits Times · 4121 article(s) · 5 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)
2026-10-30
Number of residents leaving Oleshky still unclear, Kyiv says
2026-10-21
X Community Notes ‘failed’ to flag US election falsehoods, study says
2026-10-04
Tennessee prison chief resigns after failed execution
2026-10-03
US prison chief resigns after failed execution of death row inmate Christa Pike
2026-09-13
Russia hits Ukrainian-Polish border area, Kyiv says

Who wrote this

The Straits Times
2659 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Final results are due in coming days and not expected to change the outcome.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Serbians mark railway disaster that led to rise of victorious student movement
🔮 The head of a student group said a campaign of high school blockades would restart from Nov 2, adding the government’s proposals did not go far enough.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · French school blockades to restart from Nov 2: Student group
🔮 “Evidence is being reviewed and further action will be taken as appropriate.”
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · British police say 325 people were arrested at Palestine Action demo
🔮 The head of Germany’s far-left Die Linke (The Left) party, Ines Schwerdtner, told the Rheinische Post daily that the demands made by those “demonstrating peacefully will not disappear because small angry groups followed up with acts of vandalism”.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Violence after Germany’s Gen Z demos slammed by politicians
🔮 Pope Leo says he hopes Oleshky truce could spur Ukraine-Russia peace efforts VATICAN CITY, Nov 1 - Pope Leo said on Sunday he hoped cooperation between Russia and Ukraine in implementing a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky would pave the way for broader peace efforts. Ukraine and Russia said on October 23 they had agreed to a ceasefire in Oleshky, brokered by US first lady Melania Trump with the additional involvement of Pope Leo, to allow aid deliveries and evacuations from the frontline town, which has been suffering acute food and medicine shortages. "
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Pope Leo says he hopes Oleshky truce could spur Ukraine-Russia peace efforts
🔮 The assessment will deepen “understanding of the condition” of the cables within the bridge, the City Bridge Foundation, a charity that manages five crossings over the River Thames, said in its 2025-26 report.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · London Bridge gets early review to test structural condition
🔮 "The rioters and looters will be identified and held accountable," Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt was quoted as telling the Bild tabloid on Sunday.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Germany's Dobrindt calls for tough penalties after Frankfurt unrest, Bild says
🔮 Ukraine says it supports a full ceasefire on energy targets, including its own battered power grid, but that Moscow is unwilling to agree to this.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Russian strikes cut power to thousands in Ukraine as drones damage Russian facility
🔮 Senior officials, including deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and budget director Russell Vought, have been working with the White House Counsel’s Office since April to identify executive actions on immigration, tariffs, housing costs and federal spending that Trump could pursue without congressional approval, said the three sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
2026-11-01 · mixed framing · Trump White House maps path to govern without Congress if Democrats win
🔮 Explainer-How US news organizations will make midterm race calls
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Explainer-How US news organizations will make midterm race calls
Also by The Straits Times
Serbians mark railway disaster that led to rise of victorious student movement
2026-11-01 · The Straits Times
French school blockades to restart from Nov 2: Student group
2026-11-01 · The Straits Times
British police say 325 people were arrested at Palestine Action demo
2026-11-01 · The Straits Times
Violence after Germany’s Gen Z demos slammed by politicians
2026-11-01 · The Straits Times
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 2659 articles by The Straits Times →

Topics

American DUBAI Defence Iran Iranian

Subjects

Iran GPE · 5× Akhlaqi PERSON · 4× Iranian NORP · 2× American NORP · 1× Aziz Nasirzadeh PERSON · 1× DUBAI GPE · 1× Defence ORG · 1× Majid Ebn al-Reza PERSON · 1× Mehrdad Akhlaqi PERSON · 1× Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi PERSON · 1×

Narrative

"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.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-18
🔮 "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.
2026-10-18 · The Straits Times
Iran's parliament approves Mehrdad Akhlaqi as minister of defence · assertive framing

Claims (9 extracted, 1 hedged)

Iran's parliament approves Mehrdad Akhlaqi as minister of defence DUBAI, Oct 18 - asserted
parliament → approve → defence
Iran's parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi as defence minister on Sunday, ending months of interim leadership at the ministry and placing a former defence sector veteran in charge of the country's defence production and procurement apparatus. asserted
parliament → approve → apparatus
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. asserted
Nasirzadeh → replace → February
Akhlaqi has spent decades in Iran's defence industry and has held senior roles in its aerospace and missile sectors. asserted
Akhlaqi → spend → sectors
In a programme 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. asserted
Akhlaqi → present → 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. asserted
Tehran → make → 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. uncertain
Trump → report → operations
"The US President should focus on ensuring his forces are withdrawn safely from our region. asserted
forces → focus → 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. asserted
Akhlaqi → drop → position
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 1 Nov 2026