Mohsen Paknejad
Iranian politician and executive director
Photo: Mehr News Agency, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
- Oct 4
Iran names Mehrdad Akhlaghi defense minister and replaces oil chief as blockade bites
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accepted the resignation of Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad and nominated Mehrdad Akhlaghi as Defense Minister on 5 October 2026, restructuring key leadership posts during an ongoing conflict and naval blockade.
- Aug 23
Iran discovers sweet natural gas field in Fars province holding over 200 billion cubic meters
Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad announced the discovery of over 200 billion cubic meters of natural gas in southern Fars province, noting that recoverable reserves equal roughly 15 years of output from one phase of South Pars.