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Iran Conflict 2026
8NOV

Iran's MPs confirm new defence minister

2 min read
19:56UTC

Iran's parliament confirmed Mehrdad Akhlaghi as defence minister by webinar, replacing a minister killed in the war, as armed groups claim attacks in the south-east.

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ConflictDeveloping
Key takeaway

Iran confirmed Mehrdad Akhlaghi as defence minister by webinar, replacing a minister killed in the war.

The Majlis, Iran's parliament, confirmed Mehrdad Akhlaghi as Minister of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics on Sunday 18 October by 237 votes to 15, with 277 members present, in an open session held by webinar rather than in the chamber⁠1. He replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, killed in the war. On 21 October Akhlaghi said the air force and air defence come first.

Tehran hanged a man this month over wartime armed attacks in Kerman. In the south-east the People's Fighters Front, an armed opposition coalition, claims six attacks in Sistan-Baluchistan and Kerman provinces, which no independent source has verified. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a US-based Iranian rights group, has recorded 18 incidents in 18 days⁠2.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Iran's parliament is called the Majlis. It must approve ministers chosen by the president. On 18 October it approved a new defence minister, Mehrdad Akhlaghi, after his predecessor was killed in the war. The vote was held online rather than in the parliament building. Meanwhile, armed groups in Iran's south-east, a poor region near Pakistan, say they have carried out new attacks on Iranian forces.

Deep Analysis
Root Causes

Sistan-Baluchistan is Iran's poorest province and largely Sunni, in a Shia-majority state. Its long borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan let armed groups move across them, and Tehran's response has relied on security forces rather than development.

The webinar session reflects a second condition. Senior officials remain targets in this war, so the state has moved meetings that would gather many of them in one place.

What could happen next?
  • Meaning

    Holding a confirmation vote by webinar shows Tehran expects strikes on gatherings of senior officials to continue.

  • Risk

    More attacks in the south-east may bring more wartime executions, as in Kerman this month {{EVREF:/t/iran-conflict-2026/181/iran-hangs-a-man-mizan-ties-to-israel/}}.

Sources:CBS News·Fox News·Taadol
Mentions:Majlis →People's Fighters Front →Sistan-Baluchistan →Kerman →Human Rights Activists News Agency →Iran →Tehran →Republican Party →Rajai →Pakistan →Mehrdad Akhlaghi →Bahonar →
First Reported In

Update #182 · Iran says it mined Hormuz and hit 7 ships

CBS News· 22 Oct 2026
Read original →
Causes and effects
Caused by
Iran hangs a man Mizan ties to Israel
An armed coalition claims attacks in Kerman after Iran hanged a man over wartime attacks there.
Occurred 14 Oct 2026
Read story →
This Event
Iran's MPs confirm new defence minister
Iran has filled a defence post the war emptied, through a parliamentary vote held by webinar.
Different Perspectives
Office for Budget Responsibility
Office for Budget Responsibility
The OBR's 28 October forecast assumed $82 oil for 2026 and 2027, from market prices for the ten working days to 19 August, and blamed dearer wholesale energy on the war without naming Iran. It expects CPI inflation close to 4% in early 2027 even at that price.
Hengaw, Kurdish rights group
Hengaw, Kurdish rights group
Hengaw reported the 3 November hangings of Amirhossein Maleki and Amirhossein Ebrahimi in Isfahan, saying Ebrahimi was tortured into confessing and that nine of 12 people sentenced to death in the case have now been hanged. Iran's judiciary holds that the defendants killed members of the security forces.
FINTRAC, Canada's financial intelligence unit
FINTRAC, Canada's financial intelligence unit
FINTRAC worked with the US Treasury on the 6 November designation of eight money services businesses in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. Treasury says the businesses still operate, some under new names, so closing them falls to Ottawa.
Abdul Qadir al-Dakhil, Governor of Nineveh
Abdul Qadir al-Dakhil, Governor of Nineveh
Al-Dakhil cancelled three Mosul International Airport contracts on 7 November over alleged links to armed groups, after meeting Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in Baghdad. He named no group or company, and said the contracts will go to international companies.
Kuwait
Kuwait
Kuwait condemned the Houthi missile fired towards the Madinah region on 5 November and restated its support for Saudi Arabia, the Qatar News Agency reported. Its state tanker company, Kuwait Oil Tankers Company, is among the Gulf state fleets on Iran's expanded Hormuz list.
Scott Bessent, US Treasury Secretary
Scott Bessent, US Treasury Secretary
Treasury designated an alleged Chandigarh false-flag network on 4 November and eight Canadian exchangers on 6 November, while State sanctioned alleged MANPADS intermediaries. None of the actions touches an oil buyer; they target the paper, cash and procurement around Iran's trade.

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Editorial standards.