What are the stances of Iran’s presidential hopefuls on Palestine?

By Maryam Qarehgozlou

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, successive Iranian governments have vigorously championed the Palestinian cause and supported resistance movements against Israeli occupation.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has repeatedly asserted that Palestine is the primary issue for the Muslim world, following the stance of the founder of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini.

President Ebrahim Raeisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who died in a helicopter crash last month, were also staunch supporters of Palestinian resistance and played instrumental roles in strengthening it since the events of October 7, 2023.

The six candidates vying for presidency have also voiced their support for Palestine during their election campaigns, in line with Iran's long-standing stance on the issue.

The candidates in the race for Iran's presidency are Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Alireza Zakani, Saeed Jalili, and Masoud Pezeshkian.

They are currently engaged in hectic campaigns for the snap election on June 28.

The election in Iran takes place amid the Israeli genocidal war against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 37,500 people, most of them children and women, in the past eight months.

'Palestine as the world’s foremost issue'

In an interview last week during his presidential campaign, Qalibaf, who currently serves as the parliament speaker, said Palestine today is not just the first and foremost issue of the Muslim world—like what the late founder of the Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini used to say—it is now an issue for the whole world.

Supporting the Palestinian cause and defending Palestine against the West-backed Israeli occupation, he asserted, is gaining momentum worldwide—in the US, Europe, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“That’s because the Zionist regime and its dreadful actions, with the backing of the US, violated humanitarian law and in fact everything including humanity and human nature," he asserted.

According to Qalibaf, the Operation Al-Aqsa Storm launched by the Palestinian resistance more than eight months ago was a “turning point” that “changed everything.”

“Any political analysis or decision [about Palestine] definitely divides into before and after the Al-Aqsa Storm Operation," he said.

'Defending Palestine core issue in Iran's foreign policy'

Last Wednesday, Pourmohammadi, who previously served as minister of interior affairs and justice respectively, said in an interview that defending Palestinians is a “serious” issue for Iranians.

“Palestine is a core issue in Iran’s foreign policy. Palestine is where we confront the US and the world’s oppressors,” he stated.

The presidential hopeful said the issue of Palestine is not confined to one land or one nation but symbolizes the collision between two civilizations and cultures.

According to Pourmohammadi, the Islamic Republic has “rightly” defended the rights of Palestinians since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and will “strongly” continue to offer its support to their cause.

'The apartheid regime must be destroyed'

Ghazizadeh Hashemi, who has been serving as head of Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, during a recent appearance on state TV after launching his election campaign, said Palestine belongs to Palestinians, regardless of their ethnicity or race.

“We believe that this country [Palestine] belongs to Palestinians who should come together with equal rights—with no ethnic groups having any special privileges—and decide together,” the former lawmaker said.

He stated that the “apartheid regime must be destroyed,” while rejecting the so-called two-state solution and calling for the establishment of a sovereign state of Palestine.

'Palestinians should determine their fate'

Zakani, the Mayor of Tehran, on Saturday said Palestinians, either those living inside the geographical borders of the country or those expelled by the occupying Israeli regime, must be able to determine their fate.

“It is obvious that Palestinians should determine what kind of governing body they want, and this is accepted by the international community,” he noted.

According to the former lawmaker, the “armed settlers” who are “colonizing” Palestinian lands are in no position to make decisions for Palestine or Palestinians.

“The ongoing genocide in Gaza is an international crime, and Israeli regime leaders must be prosecuted by world courts,” he asserted.

Zakani said the occupying Zionist regime is already in tatters and that the Palestinian resistance "is a source of pride for us and we must help it one way or another.”

‘Sovereign Palestinian state not a dream anymore’

Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, the campaign spokesman for Pezeshkian, a senior lawmaker and presidential contender, in his remarks on Saturday said the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a country “central to the Axis of Resistance,” must form strategies and plans to counter the Zionist regime.

“The Palestinian cause has always been a matter of concern for Pezeshkian, and should he win the election, he will form special working groups to pursue the issue of Palestine in the region and among the Muslim countries,” he noted.

According to Shamsolvaezin, the Hamas-led October 7 resistance operation changed the way many countries around the world saw the Palestinian cause and resistance.

The veteran parliamentarian’s spokesman added that the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state is “not a dream anymore.”

He also explained that if Pezeshkian wins the upcoming election, he will have Iran join South Africa in its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

South Africa in December filed a case against Israel saying the regime is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Some countries also filed a “declaration of intervention” in the case at the ICJ to take part in the proceedings.

'Need to empower resistance groups'

Mohammad Asghari, the presidential campaign spokesman for Jalili, the former lead nuclear negotiator and security body chief, said on Tuesday that resistance groups in the region need to be “empowered.”

Asghari added that the Islamic Republic of Iran is “one step ahead” of other countries that have merely recognized a Palestinian state.

“Jalili believes that the issue of Palestine must be actively followed in international forums,” he said.

“The Islamic Republic must use all its diplomatic and other channels to connect with Western pro-Palestine activists and use them to further the objectives of the Islamic Revolution.”

Asghari further said that Jalili is planning to boycott the Israeli regime in cooperation with other neighboring countries if elected as the country's president on June 28.

By following in the footsteps of late President Raeisi and implementing his neighborhood-friendly policy and reinforcing Iran’s cultural and economic schemes in neighboring countries, the Islamic Republic can play a key role in sanctioning Israel, he said.

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