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Iran’s defense minister Akhlaghi warns US: ‘Our fingers are on the trigger’
Iran’s new Defense Minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi said hours after winning a parliamentary vote of confidence that Iran is “prepared for war against the Zionists” with its “fingers on the trigger,” warning that any new U.S. attack would cause enormous damage to the United States and the region.
Iran’s parliament on Sunday approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi, nominated by President Masoud Pezeshkian, as minister of defense and armed forces logistics. He received 237 votes in favor, according to Iranian media.
Akhlaghi replaces Majid Ebn al-Reza, who had served as acting minister since February, after his predecessor Aziz Nasirzadeh was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
“With our fingers on the trigger, we are prepared for war against the Zionists,” the new minister said, according to Iranian media.
Warning to Washington
“People can rest assured that they will most likely not dare to attack us,” Akhlaghi told reporters after the vote. “If they do, they themselves and the region will suffer enormous damage.” He said that if the “American enemy” made another miscalculation, Iran’s response would be “surprising and extensive.”
Addressing U.S. President Donald Trump, Akhlaghi said Trump should focus on getting his forces out of the region safely. “If he drops a single bomb, he will have to see how many of his troops end up being carried out,” he said.
Akhlaghi also said Tehran had taken the necessary measures against a possible U.S. use of the GBU-43/B, known as the “mother of all bombs.” U.S. media reported this week that strike plans could include the bomb against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if Trump orders renewed combat.
Factories inside mountains
The minister said Iran was not rebuilding military factories at their previous, targeted locations but was building them “inside mountains and fortified, secure structures.”
A veteran of Iran’s missile industry, Akhlaghi headed the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group, which makes ballistic missiles, and in 2014 became head of the Aerospace Industries Organization. He was placed under sanctions by the U.N. Security Council in 2007 and by the U.S. Treasury in 2008.
His remarks come as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains in place and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz run high. Trump has signaled he could resume strikes after the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections.
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