Defense minister: Iran’s response to threats will be readiness, not rhetoric
Iranian new Defense Minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi pledged to strengthen the country’s military preparedness and defensive capabilities through new technologies, saying Tehran’s response to repeated threats would be measured in enhanced readiness rather than rhetoric.
“I dedicated my first working hour to meeting the demands of the IRGC Aerospace Force and the Army’s Air Defense,” Akhlaghi wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
Akhlaghi noted Iran’s response to repeated threats would not be limited to rhetoric but would focus on strengthening military preparedness and defensive capabilities.
“For us, responding to repeated threats is not a war of words; it is turning threats into greater readiness and more effective defensive power,” he said.
The minister added that Iran was pursuing its objectives through the development of new technologies. “We eat dirt, but we don’t give an inch of soil,” Akhlaghi declared.
The Iranian Parliament on Sunday approved Akhlaghi, a veteran engineer with deep experience in Iran’s missile industry, as the country’s new defense minister
Akhlaghi succeeds Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in US-Israeli attacks on Tehran at the beginning of the 40-day aggression.
In remarks to parliament on Sunday, Akhlaghi emphasized that Iran would deliver a strong response if its adversaries launched another attack against the country.
“If the American-Zionist enemy once again makes a miscalculation, the response of the Iranian nation and the fighters of Islam will be surprising and extensive,” he said.
Akhlaghi also warned that Washington and its allies would bear responsibility for the regional and international consequences of any renewed aggression against Iran.
His remarks came as the US officials have recently escalated rhetoric against Iran, threatening to bomb Iran’s Kuh-e Kolang, which translates as Pickaxe Mountain.
Kuh-e Kolang is part of the mountainous terrain in Iran’s central province of Isfahan, located close to the Natanz nuclear facility.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday raised the possibility of further strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Asked about reports that his administration was considering using the “mother of all bombs” against Iran, potentially after the US midterm elections, Trump claimed a suspected underground nuclear site known as Pickaxe Mountain could be a target for further US strikes.
“Now, we’re looking at Pickaxe Mountain. We may have to go there,” he said. “We’ll take a shot at that one. We’ll knock it out fast.”