Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud is seen. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Saudi Arabia, which restored ties with Tehran last year following a years-long rift, on Saturday congratulated Iran’s new president-elect, the reformist Masoud Pezeshkian.

King Salman, in a message to Pezeshkian, expressed hope for the “continued development of relations which link our two countries and our two brotherly peoples,” according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

He also expressed his wish for further “coordination and dialogue to strengthen regional and international peace and security,” SPA said.

After a seven-year rupture, Sunni Muslim-majority Saudi Arabia and Shiite-dominated Iran resumed relations under a surprise China-brokered deal announced in March last year.

Since then the two Middle East powers, which have often supported opposing sides in regional conflicts, have intensified their contacts.

Iran’s ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi travelled to Riyadh in November for a summit on the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Raisi’s death in a helicopter accident in May led to Iran’s early election, in which Pezeshkian defeated his ultraconservative challenger Saeed Jalili in a runoff.

The emir of Kuwait, another Gulf state, also sent a cable of congratulations to Pezeshkian, wishing “more prosperity and development” for the Islamic republic, Kuwait’s official KUNA news agency said.

This undated handout image, released by the office of the Iranian President on July 6, 2024, shows the reformist Masoud Pezeshkian who became the ninth president of Iran with 16,384,403 votes.
| Photo Credit: Office of the Iranian President via Getty Images

Iranians have picked reformist Masoud Pezeshkian as the Islamic republic’s next President in a election to replace Ebrahim Raisi who was killed in a helicopter crash in May.

Mr. Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon, won the largest number of votes in the run-off against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, taking around 16 million votes or 54% of about 30 million cast.

He rode on support from the country’s main reformist coalition and many Iranians who feared a continued hardline grip on power.

Pezeshkian’s promises

In campaigning, Mr. Pezeshkian called for “constructive relations” with Western countries to “get Iran out of its isolation”.

He pledged to try to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with the United States and other powers, which imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear activity in return for sanctions relief.

The deal collapsed in 2018 after Washington withdrew from it.

Within Iran, he vowed to ease long-standing Internet restrictions and to “fully” oppose police patrols enforcing the mandatory headscarf on women, a high-profile issue since the death in police custody in 2022 of Mahsa Amini.

The 22-year-old Iranian Kurd had been detained for an alleged breach of the dress code, and her death sparked months of deadly unrest nationwide.

Mr. Pezeshkian also pledged to involve more women and ethnic minorities such as Kurds and Baluchis in his government.

He has also promised to reduce inflation, now hovering at around 40%, which he says has “crushed the nation’s back” in recent years.

In one debate with Mr. Jalili, Mr. Pezeshkian estimated that Iran needs $200 billion in foreign investment, which he said could only be provided by mending ties across the world.

The powers he holds

Unlike in many countries, Iran’s President is not head of state, and the ultimate authority rests with the supreme leader — a post held by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for 35 years.

As president, Mr. Pezeshkian will hold the second-highest ranking position and will have influence over both domestic and foreign policy.

Setting economic policy will be within his powers.

However, he will have limited power over the police, and virtually none over the Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the military’s ideological arm.

The police, the Army and the IRGC all answer directly to the supreme leader.

Mr. Pezeshkian will be tasked with implementing state policies outlined by Mr. Khamenei.

People’s expectations from him

Iranians have mixed feelings towards Mr. Pezeshkian’s victory, with some expressing happiness and others sceptical.

“We really needed a literate president to solve the economic problems of the people,” said Abolfazl, a 40-year-old architect from Tehran who asked only his first name be used.

But Rashed, a 40-year-old barber, said Mr. Pezeshkian’s win “doesn’t matter”, and believed the “situation will only get worse”.

Maziar Khosravi, a political analyst and journalist, said the new President “did not promise an immediate resolution to problems” in Iran.

“People voted for him because they realised his approach was about interacting with the world, which was completely different from the current government,” he said.

Political commentator Mossadegh Mossadeghpoor said people are cautiously “hopeful that he can make some good changes and resolve some of the country’s issues”, especially the economy.

Challenges lying ahead

Analysts say Mr. Pezeshkian will face serious challenges because conservatives still dominate state institutions.

One such institution is parliament, which was elected in March and is dominated by conservatives and ultraconservatives.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who ran in the first round of the election, backed Mr. Jalili in the run-off.

Two other ultraconservatives who dropped out a day before the first round also backed Mr. Jalili.

“Dealing with the issue of hijab or any other ideological matter is out of the hands of the President,” Mossadeghpoor said, noting that this is a religious matter.

Ali Vaez of the International Crisis group says Mr. Pezeshkian will face an uphill battle to secure “social and cultural rights at home and diplomatic engagement abroad”.

On the nuclear issue, Mossadeghpoor said Mr. Pezeshkian may be able to “resolve it if it is the system’s will”.

Diplomatic efforts to revive the 2015 deal with Washington and Europe have faltered over the years.

“No one should expect Iran’s approach to foreign policy to fundamentally change,” said Khosravi.

Iran’s presidential election came amid heightened regional tensions over the Gaza war between Israel and Tehran’s ally Hamas, which has drawn in other Iran-backed militant groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.

Mossadeghpoor says Mr. Pezeshkian will “neither reduce Iran’s missile capabilities, nor will he stop supporting resistance front groups”.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian for his election as Iran’s new President.

“Looking forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship for the benefit of our people and the region,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

Congratulations @drpezeshkian on your election as the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Looking forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship for the benefit of our peoples and the region.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 6, 2024

India-Iran partnership in various sectors, including connectivity, has expanded tremendously in recent times, especially during the tenure of Iran’s late President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi who passed away in a helicopter crash in May this year.

India had also observed a day’s state mourning as a mark of respect to the late Iranian President and other eight people, including the country’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who lost their lives in the tragic accident.

It was also under India’s presidency that Iran joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Both countries have fast-tracked infrastructure cooperation, focusing especially on the Chabahar project and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) – the 7,200 km-long multimodal trade corridor linking Russia with India via the ports of Iran.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

For change in the minds of fanatics…

For the longing for a normal life…

For the girl who wished she was a boy,

For women, life, freedom.

The lines are from Baraye, a popular Iranian ballad written by Shervin Hajipour, after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, while in the custody of the country’s infamous morality police. Amini was arrested for not wearing the hijab, the mandatory headscarf, “properly”. When Amini’s death sparked weeks-long nationwide protests, Baraye emerged as “the anthem” of the protesters. The song won the first ever special merit award for Best Song for Social Change at the 65th Grammy Awards in February 2023. Shervin is now in jail in Iran, serving a three-year term.

The protests over the death of Amini have died down, but “the anthem” remained immensely popular in Iran, especially among the youth. It became so popular that Masoud Pezeshkian, the reformist candidate in this year’s presidential election, used the song in his campaign to draw in voters. Many saw this as Mr. Pezeshkian indirectly joining the cause of the protests, while critics of the Islamic Republic called it hypocrisy as Shervin was still in jail. Either way, Mr. Pezeshkian’s unconventional methods seemed to have helped him strike a chord with Iran’s voters, who had to make a choice between two starkly different candidates: one who sings “the anthem” and the other, a “superrevolutionary” who wants stricter enforcement of the Islamic moral code and tougher policies towards the West.

In the June 28 first round, in which less than 40% voters turned up, Mr. Pezeshkian won 42.5% of votes, while conservative Saeed Jalili finished second with 38.8% votes. As neither candidate got 50%, they faced a run-off on July 5. There was a consolidation of conservative voters behind Mr. Jalili, who has also been close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mr. Pezeshkian’s chances were dependent on a larger turnout by Iran’s liberal-minded voters. The run-off saw 50% turnout, and Mr. Pezeshkian, the 69-year-old cardiologist, won 53.3% of votes to become the Islamic Republic’s ninth President. Mr. Jalilee polled at 44.3%.

Coup, revolution and war

Born in 1954 to an Iranian Azerbaijan father and a Kurdish mother in Mahabad in West Azerbaijan province, Masoud Pezeshkian grew up, like other elites of today’s Islamic Republic, in an Iran that was increasingly rebellious towards the Shah’s royal dictatorship. A year before Mr. Pezeshkian was born, Iran’s elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown in a CIA-sponsored coup. When a revolution pulled down the thousands of years-long monarchy in 1979, Mr. Pezeshkian was 25. Immediately after the dawn of the new republic, Iran was thrown into a war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Mr. Pezeshkian went to the frontlines, both as a fighter and as a doctor.

If he was a relatively obscure figure for the outside world until last month, in Iran’s seemingly homogenous but practically fractious politics, Mr. Pezeshkian has been a veteran. He entered Tehran’s circles of power in 1999 when reformist President Mohammed Khatami appointed him as a Deputy Minister of Health, Treatment and Medical education. In 2001, after Mr. Khatami’s re-election, the President chose him as the Health Minister. “His political journey has been remarkable, rising through the ranks to hold the important cabinet portfolio of Health Minister under President Mohammad Khatami,” according to a profile of the President-elect, published by Iran’s official media outlet Press TV.

Known for his combativeness and sense of humour, Mr. Pezeshkian, after his appointment, said in a meeting, “When I was a student, I would slap the university president. When I became the university president, I would slap the president. Now that I have become a minister, I will slap Clinton in the face.” In November 2002, he faced impeachment in Iran’s Parliament, Majles, over appointments and drug shortage, but regained the confidence of the Majles.

Roots of reformism

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the hardline President who succeeded Mr. Khatami in 2005, kept Mr. Pezeshkian out of his government. The doctor then moved to parliamentary polls. In 2008, he contested and won from Tabriz, Osku and Azarshahr constituency in East Azerbaijan to Majles — a seat he still holds. While his association with Mr. Khatami, who often, unsuccessfully, clashed with the country’s clerical establishment for reforms, was an indication of his political beliefs, he spoke out, for the first time, against the handling of protesters by the security personnel in 2009, when the country witnessed widespread agitations over allegations that Ahmadinejad’s reelection was rigged. “Do not kill people like a wild animal,” Mr. Pezeshkian said, quoting Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the first Imam of Shia Islam and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed. “When you can, don’t intervene sharply, don’t hit, don’t strike,” he said, referring to the crackdown.

His first attempt at the presidential election was in 2013. He initially joined the race, but later withdrew in favour of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani. Hassan Rouhani, a moderate white-turbaned cleric, won that year’s election. In 2021, after Mr. Rouhani’s two terms, which saw Iran signing a historic nuclear agreement with the U.S. and others, Mr. Pezeshkian registered for the presidential race again. But this time, the Guardian Council, the 12-member election supervisory body that reports to the Supreme Leader, struck down his name. Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric and a close ally of the clerical establishment, became President. This year’s election was necessitated by the death of Raisi in a plane crash in May. And Mr. Pezeshkian, who was barred from challenging Raisi in 2021, has now been elected his successor.

Uneasy balance

During the campaign, Mr. Pezeshkian had struck an uneasy balance between his reformist credentials and the establishment. When protests broke out after Mahsa Amini’s death, he took to Twitter (now X) to call for an investigation into the circumstances behind her death. “We oppose any violent and inhumane behaviour towards anyone, notably our sisters and daughters, and we will not allow these actions to happen,” he said recently, indirectly referring to the Gasht-e-Ershad, the morality police. During the presidential debate, he also backed engagement with the West, and promised to revive the Rouhani-era nuclear deal, which collapsed in 2018 after the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the agreement despite Iran’s compliance. “If we manage to lift the sanctions, people will have an easier life while the continuation of sanctions means making people’s lives miserable,” he said.

But this doesn’t mean that Mr. Pezeshkian is a counter-revolutionary. After Iran shot down an American drone near the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf in 2019, which took both countries to the brink of war, Mr. Pezeshkian termed the American government “terrorist”. The IRGC’s action was “a strong punch to the mouths of the leaders of criminal America”, he said, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the powerful paramilitary force whose uniform he had worn in the past. Mr. Pezeshkian has also slammed the U.S. designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. During the campaign, he has stated that his intent is “to avoid confrontation with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei” and other influential actors such as the IRGC. “On many occasions, he reiterated his commitment to abiding by the Islamic Republic’s legal framework and the policies defined by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei,” reads the Press TV profile of the President-elect.  

As Mr. Pezeshkian assumes the presidency, the highest elected office and the second most powerful constitutional office in the Islamic Republic, his hands are full. Iran, battered by western sanctions, is going through a serious economic crisis. Popular protests are a new norm. The U.S. is in an election year with Donald Trump, the former President who destroyed the nuclear deal, being the frontrunner. In West Asia, Iran’s proxies are in an unending war with Israel. A reset would not be easy. His supporters want reform, but the establishment wants the status quo. Mr. Pezeshkian’s challenge is to do what even his mentor, Mohammad Khatami, failed to do: bring in incremental reforms at home, steady the economy, and stabilise Iran’s ties abroad.

Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran’s presidential runoff election on Saturday, defeating hardliner Saeed Jalili by a margin of around 2.8 million votes.

The 69-year-old president-elect aims to improve relations with the West and ease the mandatory headscarf law. While Pezeshkian respects Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s authority and seeks no major changes to Iran’s government, he faces significant challenges – opposition from hardliners, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and Western concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. 

Here are some facts about Masoud Pezeshkian:

1. Masoud Pezeshkian was born on September 29, 1954, in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan, to an Azeri father and a Kurdish mother. He speaks Azeri and focuses on the affairs of Iran’s minority ethnic groups. Mr Pezeshkian lost his wife Fatemeh Majidi and one of his daughters in a car accident in 1994. He chose not to remarry and raised his two other sons and daughter alone.

2. He is a heart surgeon and has served as the head of the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. He became a combatant and physician during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), dispatching medical teams to the front lines.

3. Masoud Pezeshkian served as the Minister of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education under President Mohammad Khatami’s administration. He has been a member of the Iranian Parliament, representing Tabriz, Azarshahr, and Osku across multiple terms (8th to 12th). He served as the first Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2020.

4. The 69-year-old had registered for presidential elections in 2011 and 2021. He withdrew in 2011 and was disqualified in 2021. In the 2024 presidential run, Pezeshkian campaigned with the slogan “For Iran,” aiming to contrast his policies with those of his opponent Saeed Jalili.

5. Masoud Pezeshkian has been involved in several controversies. He attended the autopsy of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi in 2003, who was detained, tortured, and died in custody. He cited intracranial hemorrhaging as the cause of death but claimed there were no signs of bruising or cuts, contradicting international outcry and demands for an investigation.

In 2017, Pezeshkian admitted to being among the first to prohibit women not wearing hijab from entering universities and hospitals in 1978, even before the mandatory hijab policy was officially introduced. In 2022, after Mahsa Amini’s death, he said it was “unacceptable in the Islamic Republic” to arrest a girl for not wearing a hijab and then return her dead body to her family.

New Delhi:

As Masoud Pezeshkian emerges victorious from Iran’s presidential election, defeating hardliner Saeed Jalili, his presidency promises a shift towards more pragmatic and reformist policies. But how will Mr Pezeshkian’s presidency reshape Iran-India relations?

Mr Pezeshkian, a seasoned lawmaker and cardiac surgeon, has long supported both domestic and international reforms in Iran. His win is viewed as a call for change since it follows a general unhappiness with the hardline policies of his predecessors. But the dynamics of Iranian politics, where hardliners still control the majority and the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei retains ultimate authority, will put Mr Pezeshkian’s ability to carry out his vision to the test.

READ | Iran Reformist Pezeshkian Defeats Hardliner Jalili In Presidential Polls

“Today, we are holding the second round of the presidential election. More than 700 polling centres are accepting the vote of Iranians. We hope that by tomorrow morning we will have a new president. There will be no changes in Iranian foreign policy and internal policy. Both discourses emphasise strengthening Iranian power internally and externally,” said Iran’s ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi.

India-Iran Ties

India and Iran have historically enjoyed strong economic ties. Under Pezeshkian’s presidency, these ties are likely to deepen.

The focus will be especially on the strategic Chabahar Port, a project to which India has already committed heavy investments. It is an important transit point for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan. India has pledged $120 million for the development of the Shahid-Beheshti Port terminal and offered a $250 million credit line for infrastructure projects in Iran. Experts believe that Iran’s general foreign policy is unlikely to change whoever takes over next; modus operandi and details may, however, be different.

READ | Developing Chabahar Port “De-Risks” Commerce Between India, Eurasia: PM Modi

Iran is one of India’s key sources of crude oil. With Iran eyeing an increase in the exports of oil against the backdrop of ongoing Western sanctions, India could be looking at a reliable and arguably cheaper source of crude oil.

The Pezeshkian approach to regional security will be closely watched in New Delhi. His stand related to keeping up the Axis of Resistance” against Israel and strategic regional siding with forces against what he calls “the Zionist regime” could continue to impact India’s tightrope diplomacy in the region.

Another platform for close cooperation between India and Iran is the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multi-modal transportation route connecting India to Russia via Iran. This corridor increases connectivity in terms of trade and bilateral ties for regional stability.

Iran Elections

The presidential election in Iran takes place in the backdrop of former President Ebrahim Raisi passing away in a helicopter crash on May 19. The polls saw the lowest turnout of voters since the 1979 Islamic Revolution as only 39.92 per cent of eligible voters took part.

The Iranian government had predicted, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei forecasted a higher turnout. State television showed modest lines at polling centres, while online videos depicted empty polls and light traffic at some sites in the capital, Tehran, reportedly with a heavy security presence.

The elections were held amid heightened regional tensions. In April, for instance, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israel amid the latter’s ongoing aggression in Gaza. This was then followed by an intensification of attacks by militant groups, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Houthis of Yemen, both armed by Tehran. 

While Ayatollah Khamenei has the last word on state affairs, it remains to be seen if the Middle Eastern nation adopts a change in its foreign policy in light of recent events. 

Tehran:

Iran’s reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday won a runoff presidential election against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, the interior ministry said.
Pezeshkian received more than 16 million votes and Jalili more than 13 million out of about 30 million votes cast, electoral authority spokesman Mohsen Eslami said, adding that voter turnout stood at 49.8 percent.

The number of spoiled ballots was reported to be over 600,000.

Pezeshkian thanked his supporters who came to vote “with love and to help” the country.

“We will extend the hand of friendship to everyone; we are all people of this country; we should use everyone for the progress of the country,” he said on state television.

The election, called early after the death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, followed a first round marked by a historically low turnout last week.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who wields ultimate authority, had called for a higher turnout in the runoff, emphasising the importance of the election.

He said the first round turnout was lower than expected, but added that it was not an act “against the system”.

The ballot comes against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions over the Gaza war, a dispute with the West over Iran’s nuclear programme, and domestic discontent over the state of Iran’s sanctions-hit economy.

Reformist support

In last week’s first round, Pezeshkian, who was the only reformist allowed to stand, won the largest number of votes, around 42 percent, while Jalili came second with around 39 percent, according to figures from Iran’s elections authority.

Only 40 percent of Iran’s 61 million eligible voters took part in the first round — the lowest turnout in any presidential election since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

The candidacy of Pezeshkian, a relative unknown until recently, has raised the hopes of Iran’s reformists after years of dominance by the conservative and ultraconservative camps

Iran’s main reformist coalition supported Pezeshkian, with endorsements by former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani, a moderate.

Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon, has called for “constructive relations” with Western countries to revive the nuclear deal in order to “get Iran out of its isolation”.

Jalili, 58, is Iran’s former nuclear negotiator who is widely recognised for his uncompromising anti-West stance.

During his campaign, he rallied a substantial base of hardline supporters and received backing from other conservative figures.

Ahead of Friday’s runoff, Pezeshkian and Jalili took part in two televised debates during which they discussed the low turnout, as well as Iran’s economic woes, international relations and internet restrictions.

Pezeshkian vowed to ease long-standing internet restrictions and to “fully” oppose police patrols enforcing the mandatory headscarf for women, a high-profile issue since the death in police custody in 2022 of Mahsa Amini.

The 22-year-old Iranian Kurd had been detained for an alleged breach of the dress code and her death sparked months of nationwide unrest.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A man votes in the run-off presidential election between Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili in Tehran, Iran, July 5, 2024.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Iranians began voting on July 5 in a runoff election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash last month, as public apathy has become pervasive in the Islamic Republic after years of economic woes, mass protests and tensions in the Middle East.

Voters face a choice between the hard-line former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and longtime parliament member who has allied himself with moderates and reformists within Iran’s Shiite theocracy.

An initial round of voting on June 28 saw no candidate get over 50% of the vote, forcing the runoff. It also saw the lowest turnout ever for an Iranian election, leaving turnout on July 5 a major question.

There have been calls for a boycott, including from imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, though potential voters in Iran appear to have made the decision not to participate last week on their own as there’s no widely accepted opposition movement operating within or outside of the country.

State television broadcast images of modest lines at select polling places around the country as polls opened on July 5.

As has been the case since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women and those calling for radical change have been barred from the ballot while the vote itself will have no oversight from internationally recognized monitors.

The voting comes as wider tensions have gripped the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. In April, Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel over the war in Gaza, while militia groups that Tehran arms in the region — such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels — are engaged in the fighting and have escalated their attacks.

Meanwhile, Iran continues to enrich uranium at near weapons-grade levels and maintains a stockpile large enough to build — should it choose to do so — several nuclear weapons. Its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, reached by officials now backing Pezeshkian, collapsed in 2018 after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord. In the time since, hard-liners have taken control of all levers of power within Iran’s government.

While Iran’s 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all matters of state, presidents can bend the country’s policies toward confrontation or negotiation with the West.

Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, who is in charge of overseeing the election, announced all the polls had opened at 8 a.m. local time.

Mr. Khamenei cast one of the election’s first votes from his residence, television cameras and photographers capturing him dropping the ballot into the box.

“I have heard that people’s enthusiasm is more than before,“ Mr. Khamenei said. “God willing, people vote and choose the best” candidate.

However, Mr. Khamenei on July 3 said that those who didn’t vote last week weren’t against the country’s Shiite theocracy.

“There are reasons behind this matter which should be examined by sociologists and those involved in politics,” he said.

More than 61 million Iranians over the age of 18 are eligible to vote, with about 18 million of them between 18 to 30. Elections are scheduled to end at 6 p.m. local, but traditionally get extended until midnight to boost participation.

July 5th’s election marks only Iran’s second presidential runoff since 1979. The first came in 2005, when hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad bested former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Under Ahmadinejad, Iran faced international sanctions over its advancing nuclear program, as well as the 2009 Green Movement protests and the crackdown that smashed them.

Mr. Pezeshkian’s supporters have been warning Jalili will bring a “Taliban”-style government into Tehran, while Jalili has criticized Pezeshkian for running a campaign of fear-mongering.

The 63-year-old Raisi died in the May 19 helicopter crash that also killed the country’s foreign minister and others. He was seen as a protege of Khamenei and a potential successor as supreme leader. Still, many knew him for his involvement in the mass executions that Iran conducted in 1988, and for his role in the bloody crackdowns on dissent that followed protests over the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman detained by police over allegedly improperly wearing the mandatory headscarf, or hijab.

Hard-line former Iranian senior nuclear negotiator and candidate for the presidential election Saeed Jalili casts his ballot in a polling station, in Tehran, Iran, on June 28, 2024. Iranians are voting in a snap election to replace the late hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi.
| Photo Credit: AP

Early, seesawing results released Saturday in Iran’s presidential election put the race between reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and hard-liner Saeed Jalili, with the lead trading between the two men while a runoff vote appeared likely.

The early results, reported by Iranian state television, did not initially put either man in a position to win Friday’s election outright, potentially setting the stage for a runoff election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi.

It also did not offer any turnout figures for the race yet — a crucial component of whether Iran’s electorate backs its Shiite theocracy after years of economic turmoil and mass protests.

After counting over 12 million votes, Mr. Pezeshkian had 5.3 million while Mr. Jalili held 4.8 million.

Another candidate, hard-line speaker of the parliament Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, had some 1.6 million votes. Shiite cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi had more than 95,000 votes.

Voters faced a choice between the three hard-line candidates and the little-known reformist Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon. As has been the case since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women and those calling for radical change have been barred from running, while the vote itself will have no oversight from internationally recognised monitors.

The voting came as wider tensions have gripped the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

In April, Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel over the war in Gaza, while militia groups that Tehran arms in the region — such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels — are engaged in the fighting and have escalated their attacks.

Meanwhile, Iran continues to enrich uranium at near weapons-grade levels and maintains a stockpile large enough to build — should it choose to do so — several nuclear weapons.

There had been calls for a boycott, including from imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi. Mir Hossein Mousavi, one of the leaders of the 2009 Green Movement protests who remains in house arrest, also has refused to vote with his wife, his daughter said.

There’s also been criticism that Mr. Pezeshkian represents just another government-approved candidate. One woman in a documentary on Mr. Pezeshkian aired by state TV said her generation was “moving toward the same level” of animosity with the government that Mr. Pezeshkian’s generation had in the 1979 revolution.

Iranian law requires that a winner gets more than 50% of all votes cast. If that doesn’t happen, the race’s top two candidates will advance to a runoff a week later. There’s been only one runoff presidential election in Iran’s history: in 2005, when hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad bested former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

The 63-year-old Raisi died in the May 19 helicopter crash that also killed the country’s foreign minister and others. He was seen as a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a potential successor. Still, many knew him for his involvement in the mass executions that Iran conducted in 1988, and for his role in the bloody crackdowns on dissent that followed protests over the death of Amini, a young woman detained by police over allegedly improperly wearing the mandatory headscarf, or hijab.

In this picture made available by Iranian state-run TV, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, left, embraces reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian after the conclusion of the candidates debate at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, on June 25, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

A candidate in Iran’s presidential election withdrew from the race late on June 26, becoming the first to back out for hard-liners to coalesce around a unity candidate in the vote to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi.

Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, 53, dropped his candidacy and urged other candidates to do the same “so that the front of the revolution will be strengthened,” the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Mr. Ghazizadeh Hasehmi served as one of Raisi’s Vice Presidents and as the head of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs. He ran in the 2021 presidential election and received just under 1 million votes, coming in last place.

Such withdrawals are common in the final hours of an Iranian presidential election, particularly in the last 24 hours before the vote is held when campaigns enter a mandatory quiet period without rallies. Voters go to the polls on June 28

Also read | A brief look at the life of Ebrahim Raisi

Mr. Ghazizadeh Hashemi’s decision leaves five other candidates still in the race. Analysts broadly see the race at the moment as a three-way contest.

Experts say two hard-liners, former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, are fighting over the same bloc. Then there’s the sole reformist in the race, Masoud Pezeshkian, a cardiac surgeon who has associated himself with the former administration of the relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who reached Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Iran’s theocracy under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has maintained its stance of not approving women or anyone calling for radical change to the country’s government for the ballot. However, Mr. Khamenei in recent days has called for a “maximum” turnout in the vote, while also issuing a veiling warning to Mr. Pezeshkian and his allies about relying on the United States.

A widespread public apathy has descended in the Iranian capital over the election, coming after the May helicopter crash that killed Raisi.

After the promise nearly a decade ago of Tehran’s nuclear deal opening up Iran to the rest of the world, Iranians broadly face crushing economic conditions and a far more uncertain Middle East that already has seen the Islamic Republic directly attack Israel for the first time. Iran also now enriches uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels and has enough of it to produce several nuclear weapons if it choses.

The limited options in the election, as well as widespread discontent over Iran’s ongoing crackdown on women over the mandatory headscarf, has some saying they won’t vote.

“I did not watch any of the debates since I have no plan to vote,” said Fatemeh Jazayeri, a 27-year-old unemployed woman with a master’s degree. “I voted for Rouhani seven years ago, but he failed to deliver his promises for better economy. Any promise by any candidates will remain on paper only.”

Worshippers in Tehran at Friday prayers, typically more conservative than others in the city, appeared more willing to vote.

Mahmoud Seyedi, a 46-year-old shopkeeper, said he and his wife alongside two young daughters will vote,

“My wife and I have decided to vote for Qalibaf since he knows how to solve problems of the country because years of experiences but my daughters are thinking about Jalili, too,” he said. “By the way, voting is a duty for us.”

Parivash Emami, 49, another at prayers, said she hoped his vote could help Iran overcome its problems.

“Qalibaf knows details of problems in details, the rest are either critics or promise to solve problems without offering any program,” Ms. Emami said.