Iran Threatens ‘Enormous Damage’ as Hormuz Offer Stands

Iranian Defense Minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi threatened “enormous damage” to the United States and its Middle East allies if Washington resumes military action. Tehran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remains on the table. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian media outlets on Sunday that the waterway could open within six days if Washington accepts Iran’s conditions, and U.S.-Iran talks would resume on the seventh day.

The offer came alongside a threat and the appointment of a new defense minister. His predecessor was killed in a U.S.-Israeli attack. Iran’s parliament approved Akhlaghi after the conflict began with U.S.-Israeli strikes nearly eight months ago.

Hormuz Offer and Threat

Araghchi said Iran’s offer to the United States remains available. Under the proposal, Washington would first have to accept Tehran’s conditions. Then the Strait of Hormuz would open within six days, with talks between the two countries resuming on the seventh day.

Akhlaghi warned of the consequences of renewed U.S. military action. “People can rest assured that they will most likely not dare to attack us,” he told reporters shortly after securing parliament’s vote of confidence. “If they (the US) do, they themselves and the region will suffer enormous damage.”

He linked the threat to a possible U.S. decision to resume its military campaign. Akhlaghi didn’t specify what form the damage would take. The report also didn’t detail Iran’s conditions for reopening the waterway or provide a U.S. response to the offer.

A New Defense Minister

Iranian lawmakers approved Akhlaghi as minister of defense and armed forces logistics. State television reported: “Members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (parliament) today gave a vote of confidence to Mehrdad Akhlaghi, the nominee for minister of defense and armed forces logistics.”

The government website said Akhlaghi received 237 votes in favor, out of 277 votes cast. He replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who died on February 28 in a U.S.-Israeli attack on a leadership compound alongside former supreme leader Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders.

Before the vote, Akhlaghi told the ISNA news agency that the defense ministry would face a sensitive period if lawmakers confirmed him. “Under such circumstances, defending the country requires an accurate understanding of the environment, an understanding of the logic behind developments, the identification of influential trends, and preparedness to face different possible futures,” he said.

Weapons Industry and Sanctions

Akhlaghi doesn’t hold a military rank. He has worked in Iran’s defense ministry for 42 years and has led the Iranian Defense Industries Organization, the state’s weapons manufacturer, since 2013.

The United Nations sanctioned Akhlaghi in 2007 over his alleged involvement in nuclear or ballistic missile activities. He now leads the ministry as Tehran threatens a U.S. response and offers a conditional route to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.