Iran | New President Masoud Pezeshkian Unveils International Policies

(Tehran) Iran’s newly elected president has pledged to create “a balance in relations with all countries” in accordance with national interests and preconditions for peace, but reminded the United States that his country will not yield to pressure.

Masoud Pezeshkian signed the text entitled “My message to the new world” in the newspaper Tehran Times Friday evening, welcoming the last presidential election and pledging to keep the promises made during his campaign.

Mr. Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker, beat former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to win a July 5 runoff election. He replaces President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May.

In his text, the new leader argued that his administration would prioritize strengthening relations with its neighbors. He urged Arab countries to use “all diplomatic levers” to push for a lasting ceasefire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7.

Iran has long supported the Hamas militant group, and Pezeshkian on Wednesday expressed his full support for the Palestinian resistance in a message to the group’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

Mr. Pezeshkian, in his letter on Friday, praised his country’s relations with Russia and China, which “has always supported [Téhéran] in difficult times.”

He called Moscow a “valuable strategic ally” and said his government would expand bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

He also expressed his willingness to support initiatives aimed at achieving peace between Russia and Ukraine.

Mr Pezeshkian hopes to strengthen cooperation with Beijing and congratulated him for brokering a deal to normalise relations between Tehran and Saudi Arabia after seven years of diplomatic tensions.

A message to the United States and Europe

The new president said he was eager to engage in a constructive dialogue with European countries based on the principles of mutual respect, despite a relationship that has had “ups and downs.”

In May 2018, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a nuclear deal that also includes Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Since then, Western powers have accused the Islamic Republic of expanding its nuclear program and enriching uranium to an unprecedented 60 percent purity, a technical step away from weapons-grade levels. The United States has imposed tough sanctions, mostly economic, against Iran.

Masoud Pezeshkian accused European countries of reneging on their commitments to ensure “efficient banking transactions, effective protection of companies from US sanctions and promotion of investments in Iran” following the US withdrawal. However, he added that there were still many opportunities for cooperation between Iran and Europe.

He then turned to the United States, stressing his country’s refusal to “respond to pressure,” and adding that Iran joined the 2015 Vienna Nuclear Deal in good faith and has fully fulfilled its obligations. The newly elected president argued that the U.S. withdrawal has inflicted “hundreds of billions of dollars in damage” on the Iranian economy and caused “untold suffering, death and destruction” due to sanctions.

According to Mr. Pezeshkian, Western countries have not only missed a historic opportunity to reduce and manage tensions in the region and the world, but have also “seriously undermined the Non-Proliferation Treaty.” He stressed that “Iran’s defense doctrine does not include nuclear weapons.”

Iran has held indirect talks with President Joe Biden’s administration, though there has been no clear move toward curbing Tehran’s nuclear program in preparation for lifting economic sanctions.

The Iranian leader also accused the US administration in his open letter of leading to an escalation of hostilities by assassinating General Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Iran’s regional military activities, who was killed in a US drone strike in neighboring Iraq in 2020.

Convincing the Iranian population

In addition to regional unrest and strained relations over Iran’s nuclear program, President Pezeshkian faces numerous challenges at home.

He must now convince an angry people – many of them financially strained by sanctions, high inflation and unemployment – ​​that he can deliver the promised changes while remaining an administration still largely governed by hardliners.

Masoud Pezeshkian has aligned himself with other moderate and reformist figures since his presidential campaign. His main ally has been former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who concluded the 2015 Vienna Treaty.

Mr. Zarif was appointed to head the Strategic Council for the transitional period of the administration. The council, composed of experts and advisers, will focus on evaluating potential candidates for key cabinet positions and ensuring a transparent transfer of power.