Iran’s President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian greets his supporters in a meeting a day after the presidential election, at the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, July 6, 2024. Iran’s newly elected President said his government will create “balance in relations with all countries” in line with national interests and the prerequisites for peace but stressed to the United States that his country “will not respond to pressure.” Masoud Pezeshkian penned “My Message To The New World” in the country’s state-owned Tehran Times late Friday July 12, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Iran’s newly elected president said his government will create “balance in relations with all countries” in line with national interests and the prerequisites for peace but stressed to the United States that his country “will not respond to pressure.”

Masoud Pezeshkian penned “My Message To The New World” in the country’s state-owned Tehran Times late Friday, praising the latest presidential election that “demonstrated remarkable stability” and vowing to uphold “promises I made during my campaign.” ‘

Mr. Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker, bested hard-liner former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to clinch July 5’s runoff election to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May.

He said in his message his administration would “prioritise strengthening relations with our neighbours” and urged Arab countries to use “all diplomatic leverages” to push for a lasting cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that started October 7.

Iran has long supported the militant group Hamas, and Mr. Pezeshkian on Wednesday expressed his all-out support of “the Palestinian resistance” in a message to the group’s chief Ismail Haniyeh.

Mr. Pezeshkian, in the letter Friday, hailed his country’s relations with Russia and China which “consistently stood by us during challenging times.” He said Moscow was “a valued strategic ally” and his government would expand bilateral cooperation. He also expressed willingness to “support initiatives aimed at” achieving peace between Russia and Ukraine in the ongoing war that entered its third year.

The President also said he looked forward to furthering cooperation with Beijing and applauded it for brokering a deal to normalise relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia after seven years of diplomatic tensions.

Mr. Pezeshkian said he looks forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with European countries “based on principles of mutual respect” despite a relationship that has known “its ups and downs.”

In May 2018, the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — a nuclear agreement that also included Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. Since then, Western powers have accused the Islamic Republic of expanding its nuclear program and enriching uranium to an unprecedented 60% level, near-weapons-grade levels. The U.S. has issued severe, mainly economic, sanctions against Iran.

Mr. Pezeshkian accused the European countries of reneging on commitments made, following the U.S. withdrawal, to ensure “effective banking transactions, effective protection of companies from U.S. sanctions, and the promotion of investments in Iran.” However, he added there were still many opportunities for collaboration between Iran and Europe.

He then addressed the U.S., underscoring his country’s refusal to “respond to pressure,” adding that Iran “entered the JCPOA in 2015 in good faith and fully met our obligations.” Pezeshkian said the U.S. backing out has inflicted “hundreds of billions of dollars in damage to our economy” and caused “untold suffering, death and destruction on the Iranian people — particularly during the Covid pandemic” due to sanctions.

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

Iran has held indirect talks with President Joe Biden’s administration, though there’s been no clear movement toward constraining Tehran’s nuclear program for the lifting of economic sanctions.

Mr. Pezeshkian also accused the U.S. administration in his open letter of escalating “hostilities” by assassinating General Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Iran’s regional military activities, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in neighbouring Iraq in 2020.

Besides regional turmoil and tense relations over Iran’s nuclear program, Iran’s president faces many challenges locally. He must now convince an angry public — many under financial duress due to sanctions, stubbornly high inflation and unemployment — that he can make the changes promised while dealing with an administration still largely governed by hard-liners.

Mr. Pezeshkian has aligned himself with other moderate and reformist figures since his Presidential campaign. His main advocate has been former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who reached the 2015 JCPOA. Mr. Pezeshkian appointed Mr. Zarif as the head of the Strategic Council for the transition period of the administration. The council, comprised of experts and advisors, will focus on assessing potential candidates for key cabinet positions and ensuring a seamless handover of leadership.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. File Photo
| Photo Credit: Reuters

President Ebrahim Raisi said on Sunday that Iran supports the Palestinians’ right to self-defence and warned Israel must be held accountable for endangering the region, a day after Hamas attacked Israel.

Palestinian militants from the Iran-backed Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, penetrated Israel at dawn on Saturday under the cover of a massive rocket barrage.

Almost 1,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far, with Israel reporting more than 600 lives lost and Gaza’s health ministry putting its toll at 370 dead.

“Iran supports the legitimate defence of the Palestinian nation,” Raisi said, quoted by state television.

“The Zionist regime (Israel) and its supporters are responsible for endangering the security of nations in the region, and they must be held accountable in this matter.”

He urged Muslim governments to “support the Palestinian nation” while praising “resistance” efforts by Hamas and Islamic Jihad as well as in countries including Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.

Raisi had spoken earlier with leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, official media said.

State news agency IRNA said he had “discussed the developments in Palestine” in separate phone calls with Islamic Jihad secretary general Ziyad al-Nakhalah and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh.

The Islamic republic hosted talks with leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in June.

At the time, Raisi said Israel was seeking to normalise ties with more Arab and Muslim countries “to discourage young Palestinians from (seeking to) liberate the occupied territories”, according to the presidency.

On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in major cities of Iran, including in Tehran’s Palestine Square, carrying the Palestinian flag.

They also held pictures of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a U.S. drone attack in Baghdad in 2020 after overseeing the Revolutionary Guards’ foreign operations for more than a decade.

Billboards celebrating the offensive Hamas has dubbed “Al-Aqsa Flood” were installed in the capital, including one declaring: “The great liberation operation has begun”.

Crowds in some cities set off fireworks and torched Israeli flags.

Others marched in Palestinian colours while motorists honked their horns in jubilation, as seen in video footage from IRNA.

Iran does not recognise Israel and has made support for the Palestinian cause a centrepiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The bitter rivals have engaged in a shadow war for years, with Iran accusing Israel of a series of sabotage attacks and assassinations targeting its nuclear programme.

The United States and Israel have previously accused Iran of using drones and missiles to attack U.S. forces and Israel-linked ships in the Gulf.