Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has proposed Mehrdad Akhlaghi for the position of minister of defense and armed forces support.

The nomination was submitted to parliament in a letter addressed to Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, according to ISNA.

Adviser to the president's parliamentary affairs deputy Sasan Valizadeh expressed hope that parliament’s relevant committee would review Akhlaghi’s program and that a confidence vote would be held as soon as possible.

Akhlaghi is a senior official at Iran’s Defense Ministry. He previously served as director general of Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization and Defense Industries Organization.

Born on September 10, 1958, Akhlaghi was placed under UN sanctions in 2007 over his involvement in Iran’s missile technology development while he was head of the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group.

He was removed from the UN sanctions list in October 2023 after the relevant restrictions expired, but was added back to the list in September 2025.

Akhlaghi is also subject to sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Switzerland and Japan.