ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Iranian parliament on Sunday appointed Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi as defense minister by a majority vote, succeeding Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes during the unrest in February.

“With 237 votes in favor, 15 against, and zero abstentions out of a total of 277 votes cast, Akhlaghi has become the Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics,” state broadcaster IRIB reported.

A veteran of Iran’s missile and aerospace industries, Ketabchi has held senior positions in Iran’s defense establishment for nearly two decades.

He has headed Iran’s Defense Industries Organization (DIO) and Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO).

The two organizations are major components of Iran’s defense-industrial system, with activities focused on missile development and the production of defense equipment.

He has also been subject to international sanctions over his involvement in Iran’s ballistic missile program. He was designated by the United Nations in 2007 while serving as the head of the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group, an organization linked to Iran’s missile development.

Ketabchi was also sanctioned by the US in 2020 over his alleged links to Iran’s arms-related activities, while the UK sanctioned him in 2023 over his alleged involvement in Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile activities.

Nasirzadeh, the former Iranian defense minister, was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 27. Since the US-Israel war with Iran started in late February, many top Iranian leaders, including the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and officials have been killed.