TEHRAN: Iranian reformist Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in before parliament on Tuesday as the Islamic republic’s ninth president at a ceremony attended by foreign dignitaries. Pezeshkian won a runoff race against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili on July 5 to replace president Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in May.
Tuesday’s ceremony came two days after Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei officially endorsed Pezeshkian and gave the 69-year-old heart surgeon presidential powers. "I as the president, in front of the Holy Quran and the people of Iran, swear to almighty God to be the guardian of the official religion and the Islamic Republic system and the constitution of the country,” Pezeshkian said at the ceremony which was broadcast live on state TV. Pezeshkian, who is expected to unveil his government within two weeks, had secured more than 16 million votes during the runoff, or about 54 percent of the roughly 30 million ballots cast.
Iran’s presidential election took place against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions since the Gaza war began in early October, disputes with Western powers over Iran’s nuclear program and domestic discontent over the state of the sanctions-hit economy.
Tuesday’s ceremony was attended by senior officials from several countries including Kuwait, Armenia, Tajikistan, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Cuba and Brazil. European Union envoy Enrique Mora was also present.
Regional Iran-backed allies were also in attendance, namely Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the head of the Islamic Jihad Ziyad Al-Nakhalah. Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement was represented by the group’s deputy secretary general Naim Qassem while the Yemen’s Houthi rebels sent spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam.
‘Death’ to the Zionist entity
Haniyeh and Nakhalah, whose groups have been fighting the Zionist entity in the Gaza Strip, met with Khamenei and Pezeshkian. "Supporting the cause of the oppressed Palestinian nation will continue with strength, and no factor can disrupt our will in this direction,” said Pezeshkian on Monday.
During his inauguration speech, Pezeshkian slammed the Zionist entity’s "crimes” in the Gaza Strip with some Iranians present in parliament chanting "Death to (the Zionist entity), Death to America!” "Those who supply the weapons that kill children in Gaza cannot teach humanity and tolerance to others,” he said referring to the United States. Iran has made support for the Palestinian cause a centerpiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic revolution, and hailed Hamas’s October 7 attack on the Zionist entity.
Iran’s president is not head of state, and the ultimate authority rests with the supreme leader — a post held by Khamenei for the last 35 years. On Monday, Pezeshkian warned the entity against attacking Lebanon, saying such an act would have "heavy consequences”. Since his election, Iran’s new president has reaffirmed support for the so-called "axis of resistance”, Tehran-aligned groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Pezeshkian was the only candidate representing Iran’s reformist camp allowed to stand in Iran’s presidential election, for which all contenders were approved by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council. In his speech on Tuesday, he also reaffirmed his willingness to end Iran’s isolation, saying "I will not stop on the path of lifting the cruel sanctions”.
During his campaign, he had vowed to try and revive a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers which collapsed in 2018 after the United States unilaterally withdrew from agreement. The deal had given Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear activity. Pezeshkian has recently called for "constructive relations” with European countries, even though he accused them of reneging on commitments to mitigate the impact of renewed US sanctions. — AFP