Masoud Pezeshkian has been sworn in as Iran’s ninth president, pledging to work against “oppressive” Western sanctions.
Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as the Islamic Republic’s ninth president before the Iranian parliament on Tuesday. He pledged that his administration will continue to pursue the lifting of Western sanctions against Iran.
Pezeshkian, 69, formally assumed his four-year term on Sunday when Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei endorsed his victory in the July 5 presidential election’s second round.
Over 80 foreign dignitaries, including heads of state, ministers, and special representatives, attended the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday. The Russian delegation was led by Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma. 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 address, 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, according to 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.”
During his speech, Pezeshkian also addressed Israel’s war on Gaza, criticizing the Western arms supply to the Jewish state.
“My administration wants a strong region,” Pezeshkian concluded.
Pezeshkian, considered a moderate, won the July presidential election with 53.6% of the vote following the death of his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, in a helicopter crash in May that triggered the early election. Iranians were unable to elect a new leader in the first round of voting in late June, which prompted a runoff.
The president has two weeks to assemble his Cabinet for a vote of confidence in parliament.