Iran's new defence minister threatens US

Iran's freshly appointed defence minister, Mehrdad Akhlaghi, has warned that his country will inflict significant harm on the United States and its allies in the Middle East if Washington reinstates a military campaign against Iran. Speaking to reporters following the parliament's vote of confidence in his appointment, Akhlaghi assured the public that the nation will likely deter any attack. He emphasized that should the US proceed, both they and the region would bear the brunt of the damage.

The new defence minister's appointment came shortly after the previous minister was killed during the initial US-Israeli strikes that ignited the conflict. The Islamic Consultative Assembly, or parliament, approved Akhlaghi's selection with a vote of 237 in favour out of 277 total votes. He was elected to the position with a majority, marking the beginning of his tenure as minister of defence and armed forces logistics, as reported by state television.

Akhlaghi succeeded Aziz Nasirzadeh, who perished in a US-Israeli assault on a leadership compound on February 28. The attack also claimed the lives of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders. Speaking before the vote, Akhlaghi, according to the ISNA news agency, expressed that if he received parliament's confidence, he would assume responsibility for the Ministry of Defence during a critical period.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is set to visit Tehran on Monday for consultations with Iranian officials, following up on bilateral agreements, as per an official statement from Iran's foreign ministry.