Nournews: Akhlaqi’s nomination by the president to head the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics was met almost immediately with extensive coverage by Persian-language media outlets abroad and several regional news organizations. A review of these reactions shows that what has attracted the most attention is Akhlaqi’s background in Iran’s defense and missile industries and the timing of his nomination in the aftermath of the recent war. Some outlets, however, have sought to draw conclusions from his background that go beyond the official information currently available.
In a report titled “Pezeshkian’s Choice for Defense Minister: Who Is Mehrdad Akhlaqi?”, Euronews focused on his record at the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group and the Aerospace Industries Organization, while also highlighting his sanctions history. Radio Farda and the Persian service of Deutsche Welle have likewise focused mainly on Akhlaqi’s sanctions record and his positions within Iran’s defense-industrial structure. In these reports, his managerial experience in the aerospace and missile sectors is presented as the most significant part of his résumé and the key reason his nomination has become a major news story.
Regional media outlets have similarly highlighted two main aspects: Akhlaqi’s background in the defense and missile industries and his sanctions history. Some Arab and Pakistani outlets have covered his nomination against the backdrop of the Defense Ministry’s restructuring and reorganization following the death of the previous minister, at one of the country’s most sensitive security junctures.
Among these reactions, Iran International has promoted a different narrative. In a program titled “New Defense Minister or Minister of Intercontinental Missiles?”, the outlet sought to draw conclusions about the future direction of Iran’s defense program based on Akhlaqi’s background in the country’s missile industry. Such an interpretation, however, is less a reflection of an official position than a media reading of the proposed minister’s managerial record.
Even from a logical standpoint, if the Islamic Republic of Iran intended to embark on such a project, the past several years would have provided more favorable opportunities to initiate or publicly reveal it — particularly during periods when the country was not engaged in direct war and its defense program was not facing the restrictions and pressures it faces today. If such a shift were now on the agenda, there would also be an expectation of concrete signs and an explicit official announcement. Therefore, simply linking the background of a missile-industry manager to such a conclusion goes beyond the available evidence.
Foreign media attention to Akhlaqi’s missile-related background is nevertheless understandable. Akhlaqi is among the managers who spent a significant part of their professional and managerial careers during the eight-year tenure of the late Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani as defense minister. It was during that period that the Aerospace Industries Organization was established and a more integrated structure was developed for the advancement of Iran’s missile and aerospace industries.
During the same period, the Fateh-110 solid-fuel missile was designed, produced and tested, while the technical and managerial infrastructure needed to develop subsequent generations of the missile family was established. This trajectory later led to the development of various generations of solid-fuel and precision-strike missiles that today constitute a significant part of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s missile capabilities.
Akhlaqi subsequently held various positions within the aerospace-industrial structure and eventually became head of the Aerospace Industries Organization. From this perspective, his selection can be viewed as an indication of an emphasis on expertise, accumulated experience and managerial continuity in the defense and missile sectors — rather than necessarily the beginning of a new and fundamentally different path in the country’s defense doctrine.
The significance of the issue has grown in the aftermath of the recent war. During the conflict, Iran’s missile capabilities were effectively among the country’s principal offensive and defensive capacities for responding to aggression and maintaining deterrence. From this perspective, if Akhlaqi’s appointment carries a strategic message, it could be interpreted as greater emphasis on strengthening, rebuilding and developing capabilities that played a significant role in Iran’s defense equation on the battlefield.
This, in fact, may offer a simpler explanation for the international reaction to his appointment. The selection of an individual with a direct background in the aerospace and missile industries, particularly after a war that further underscored the importance of missile capabilities in Iran’s security equation, would naturally be seen by foreign media as carrying a message. But that message does not necessarily imply a change in doctrine. It could instead signal continuity and the strengthening of a capability that has taken shape within Iran’s defense structure over several decades.
From this perspective, a distinction must be made between “strengthening missile capabilities” and attributing a new and fundamentally different project to Iran. Expanding the range, accuracy, survivability, mobility, strike capability and response capacity of missile systems falls within the framework of the defensive and deterrent policy Iran has pursued in recent years. But attributing every managerial development in this field to a fundamental shift in defense doctrine would require evidence beyond the record of a single manager.
Akhlaqi’s selection in the post-war period may carry a clearer message: Iran is seeking to repair and strengthen capabilities that played a decisive role in defense and retaliation during the war. This does not necessarily mean changing the nature of those capabilities; rather, it may mean greater investment in a capability that Iran has made part of its deterrence mechanism over several decades.
The Iranian parliament is now scheduled to review Akhlaqi’s qualifications and plans for the Defense Ministry and vote on his nomination on October 18. From this perspective, what will matter more in the coming weeks is not the narratives constructed by foreign media, but the program the nominee presents for rebuilding defense capabilities, enhancing deterrence, strengthening the defense industry and responding to the lessons of the recent war.
Overall, the foreign reaction to Akhlaqi’s nomination can be attributed to the convergence of three factors: his background in Iran’s missile and aerospace structures, the country’s new security environment following the war, and the growing importance of Iran’s missile capabilities in the deterrence equation. A significant part of the coverage represents an attempt to infer the future direction of the Defense Ministry from the nominee’s managerial record. But any assessment of that future must distinguish between what can reasonably be inferred from his background and the existing facts, and what is merely the product of media narratives.
