Iran's newly appointed Defence Minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi said on Sunday that the US and its allies would suffer "enormous damage" if Washington resumed its military campaign against Iran.
Mr Akhlaghi spoke to reporters after Iran's parliament, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, gave him a vote of confidence as minister of defence and armed forces logistics, according to an AFP report carried by 24newshd.tv.
He said: "People can rest assured that they will most likely not dare to attack us." He added that if the US did attack, it and the region would themselves suffer enormous damage.
According to the Iranian government website, Mr Akhlaghi "was elected to the post with 237 votes in favor". A total of 277 votes were cast, the Times of Israel reported.
State television reported that members of parliament "today gave a vote of confidence" to Mr Akhlaghi, the nominee for the post. The report was carried by the Times of Israel, AFP and tag24.
Mr Akhlaghi replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack on a leadership compound in Tehran on 28 February. Iran's then supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and senior military commanders were also killed, AFP and the Times of Israel reported.
The parliamentary vote came nearly eight months after the initial US-Israeli strikes that started the conflict, according to AFP and the Times of Israel.
Before the vote, the ISNA news agency quoted Mr Akhlaghi as saying that if he received parliament's confidence, responsibility for the Ministry of Defence would fall to him at a sensitive juncture.
ISNA also quoted him as saying that, under such circumstances, defending the country required an accurate understanding of the environment and of the logic behind developments. He said it also required the identification of influential trends and preparedness to face different possible futures, AFP reported.
No response from the US government to Mr Akhlaghi's remarks had been reported.
AFP and the Nukta news site said Mr Akhlaghi holds no military rank. Nukta reported that he has worked in the defence ministry for 42 years.
Nukta also reported that he has headed the Defence Industries Organisation, the state weapons maker, since 2013.
The Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics oversees Iran's defence industries and military supply.
Iranian ministerial nominees need a vote of confidence from parliament. Mr Akhlaghi had appeared before parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission on 17 October, according to a photo caption from tag24.
The conflict began with the US-Israeli attack on 28 February 2026. The strike hit a leadership compound in Tehran and killed Mr Khamenei, Mr Nasirzadeh and senior commanders, according to AFP and the Times of Israel.
Both outlets referred to the possibility of Washington resuming its military campaign. The reports did not set out the current state of the fighting.
Mr Akhlaghi now takes over the ministry. The reports did not give a timetable for any resumption of US military action.
