Iran’s supreme leader has formally approved the country’s new president, marking the beginning of a new administration.
In a ceremony held on Sunday, President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian was officially acknowledged by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the head of state for the Islamic Republic.
Pezeshkian received a document, known as the “decree of confirmation,” from Khamenei which affirmed his rightful appointment. The official inauguration ceremony for Pezeshkian will take place at Iranian Parliament in two days following Khamenei’s endorsement. More than 2,500 attendees are expected to be present including delegations from 70 foreign countries and international organizations.
Iranian officials and dignitaries, among them Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, were in attendance at the event on Sunday. During this gathering, Vahidi presented a report concerning the snap elections that occurred subsequent to President Ebrahim Raisi’s tragic death due to a helicopter crash on May 19th. The initial round of voting held at the end of June did not result in Iranians electing a new leader as it necessitated going into another phase known as runoff elections. Finally, on July 5th Dr Ali Reza Pezeshkian emerged victorious with relative moderate leanings garnering 53.6% of votes cast during these elections recounters only days ago.”””
Pezeshkian was approved by Khamenei, who holds the highest authority in Iran. In his address afterward, he promised to prioritize enhancing relationships with neighboring countries but also expressed frustration toward Gaza’s situation and Tehran’s anti-Israel position. The supreme leader strongly criticized Israel referring to it as a ” group of criminals, murderers and terrorists” under Zionism rule.
After his confirmation, Pezeshkian spoke to the assembly and promised to adhere to Khamenei’s directives.
As reported by Iran International news outlet, he stated that his duty under the Constitution is to follow the pathway explicitly defined by the Supreme Leader.
