Masoud Pezeshkian was inaugurated on Tuesday as the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ninth president during a ceremony at the Iranian parliament, attended by foreign dignitaries.
“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, the Islamic Republic system, and the constitution of the country,” Pezeshkian declared in the ceremony, which was broadcast live on state TV.
Pezeshkian, 69, emerged victorious in a runoff election on July 5, defeating former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. The snap election was held to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. A heart surgeon and a parliament member for Tabriz since 2008, Pezeshkian previously served as health minister.
The new president, endorsed by Iran’s reformist political camp, has promised to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with the United States and other world powers. This deal, which imposed limits on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, collapsed in 2018 when Washington withdrew from it. Pezeshkian has also called for “constructive relations” with European countries, despite accusing them of failing to mitigate the impact of US sanctions.
