Pezeshkian nominates sanctions-listed missile industry veteran Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi as Iran defence minister
Iran nominates sanctions-listed official for sensitive defense minister role
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has nominated Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi as defence minister, seeking to fill a post vacant since Aziz Nasirzadeh was killed in US-Israeli strikes in February.
The nomination was sent to Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf under Article 133, requiring a parliamentary confidence vote after lawmakers review Akhlaghi Ketabchi’s programme.
The ministry has been run by acting minister Majid Ebn-e-Reza since March 2. A former deputy defence minister, Ebn-e-Reza has represented Iran domestically and abroad but was not put forward for the permanent role.
Akhlaghi Ketabchi (also spelled as Kitabchi) is a longtime Defence Ministry official with deep ties to Iran’s missile and aerospace sectors, according to Iran International and Erem News.
Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group
The UN Security Council listed him in 2007 as head of the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group, linked to Iran’s ballistic missile programme; his name reappeared on UN sanctions lists when earlier measures were re-imposed in September 2025.
In 2014 he was appointed head of the Aerospace Industries Organization, and the U.S. sanctioned him in 2020 as director of the Defense Industries Organization over conventional arms-related activities.
While the president formally nominates ministers and parliament confirms them, Iran’s defence portfolio is among the most sensitive, with nominees traditionally vetted by Iran's supreme leader.
That process is now less transparent under Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since taking office, leaving unclear how his approval was secured for Akhlaghi Ketabchi.
