Iran New Defense Minister Warns Trump, Demands US Exit
The iran new defense minister took office Sunday with a blunt message for Washington: Iran’s parliament confirmed Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi to lead the Defense Ministry, and within hours he warned President Donald Trump to get American forces out of the region — or risk heavy casualties.
Lawmakers approved Akhlaqi with 237 votes in favor and 15 against, out of 277 votes cast in a session held by video conference. President Masoud Pezeshkian, who nominated him earlier this month, had lobbied hard for the appointment to end months of interim leadership at the ministry.
Confirmed After a Deadly February
Akhlaqi replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. Majid Ebn al-Reza had served as acting minister since Nasirzadeh’s death.
A longtime Defense Ministry official with decades of experience in Iran’s military-industrial complex, Akhlaqi has held senior roles in its aerospace and missile sectors and is subject to US and EU sanctions. In his address to parliament, he pledged to rebuild the country’s defense infrastructure and claimed he has spent 35 years on Western “assassination lists.”
A Blunt Warning to Trump
In his first remarks after the vote, Akhlaqi warned of a “surprising and extensive” response if the United States and Israel launch another attack on Iranian territory.
“Trump should be thinking about getting his people out of the region safely,” he said Sunday. “If he drops one bomb, he should see how many of his people he will have to carry out horizontally.”
He said Iran had already taken measures to counter the possible American use of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb — the so-called “Mother of All Bombs” — against the country.
New Strike Plans Raise the Stakes
The warning lands amid reports that Washington is drawing up options for renewed action. CNN reported this week that the US has developed strike plans that could include using the massive non-nuclear bomb against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if Trump orders renewed combat operations.
Separately, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the country’s armed forces had prepared a new operational plan to respond to any fresh attack.
Source: Anadolu Ajansı