Iran’s new president sworn in

Masoud Pezeshkian has taken oath of office before the parliament, pledging to keep fighting “oppressive” Western sanctions

Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn before parliament on Tuesday as the Islamic Republic’s ninth president. He vowed that his administration will keep trying to lift the Western sanctions against Iran.

69-year-old Pezeshkian formally began his four-year mandate on Sunday when Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei endorsed his victory in the second round of the presidential vote on July 5.

The swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday was attended by over 80 foreign officials, including heads of state, ministers and special representatives. The Russian delegation was headed by the Chairman of the State Duma, the lower house, Vyacheslav Volodin. The ceremony was broadcast live on state television.

Pezeshkian took his public oath of office in front of lawmakers and foreign guests, also delivering his inaugural speech, in which he pledged “constructive and effective engagement with the world, based on the principles of dignity, wisdom and expediency.”

“The world also needs to seize the unique opportunity to solve regional and global problems with the participation of a powerful, peace-seeking and dignified Iran,” the president stated, as quoted by Mehr News Agency.

He confirmed that the Islamic Republic remains committed to its peaceful nuclear program, noting that “pressure and sanctions do not work [in dealing with Iran].”

“I will not stop trying to remove the oppressive sanctions,” he said. “I am optimistic about the future.”

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During his speech, Pezeshkian also talked about Israel’s war on Gaza, lamenting the Western arms supply to the Jewish state.

“My administration wants a strong region,” Pezeshkian concluded.

Considered a relative moderate, Pezeshkian won the July presidential election with 53.6% of the vote after his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi died in May in a helicopter crash that sparked the early election. Iranians failed to elect a new leader in the first round of voting at the end of June, which prompted a runoff.

The president has two weeks to form his Cabinet for a vote of confidence in parliament.