{
  "id": 15398351,
  "title": "Iran’s parliament approves new defence minister",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/irans-parliament-approves-new-defence-minister",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-18T10:20:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/18/iran-s-parliament-approves-new-defence-minister"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Iran's parliament has officially endorsed Mehrdad Akhlaghi as the nation's new defence minister, succeeding Aziz Nasirzadeh who was tragically killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28th. The Islamic Consultative Assembly (parliament) granted Akhlaghi their vote of confidence with a 237- vote majority out of 277 ballots cast, nearly eight months after the initial conflict triggered by US-Israeli attacks. Akhlaghi, a seasoned defence official with 42 years of experience in the ministry and as head of Iran's Defence Industries Organisation since 2013, expressed the gravity of his new role, stating that defending the country demands an accurate understanding of the environment, the ability to discern influential trends, and preparedness for various potential future scenarios.",
  "summary": "Mehrdad Akhlaghi replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack on Feb 28 alongside former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Ajel English",
        "title": "Iranian parliament approves Mehrdad Akhlaghi as defense minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/iranian-parliament-approves-mehrdad-akhlaghi-as-defense-minister",
        "published": "2026-10-18T08:36:58.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "Iran's parliament approves Mehrdad Akhlaqi as minister of defence, state media",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/irans-parliament-approves-mehrdad-akhlaqi-as-minister-of-defence",
        "published": "2026-10-18T08:37:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al-Monitor",
        "title": "Iran's parliament approves Mehrdad Akhlaqi as minister of defence",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/irans-parliament-approves-mehrdad-akhlaqi-as-minister-of-defence-15392587",
        "published": "2026-10-18T09:46:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Iran names new defence minister as he warns US over ‘Mother of All Bombs’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/iran-names-new-defence-minister-as-he-warns-us-over-mother-of-all",
        "published": "2026-10-18T09:57:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Middle East Eye",
        "title": "Iran's new defence minister issues warning to the US",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/irans-new-defence-minister-issues-warning-to-the-us",
        "published": "2026-10-18T09:59:56.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Iran’s parliament approves new defence minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/irans-parliament-approves-new-defence-minister-15401871",
        "published": "2026-10-18T10:20:19.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}