Leader formally endorses Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran’s 9th president

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has formally endorsed Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran’s new president.

At a ceremony broadcast live on state television on Sunday, Ayatollah Khamenei gave his official approval for Pezeshkian, who emerged victorious in the second round of the presidential vote on July 5. 

Iranian state and military officials, seminary and university professors, representatives of various guilds, a group of families of martyrs, and foreign ambassadors in Tehran attended the ceremony.

The Leader’s decree, endorsing the mandate of President Pezeshkian, was read out at the event by the head of the leader’s office.

In the decree, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “The fate-determining test of the presidential election ended with calmness and sobriety in difficult conditions thanks to the endeavors of people and officials, and the person chosen by the nation became ready to take on a great responsibility.”

He also described the 14th presidential vote, which was held after martyred president Ebrahim Raeisi's unfinished term of office, as “one of the honors of the Iranian nation and a sign of the establishment of a sustainable Islamic system that indicate the rationality and sobriety of the country’s political environment.”

The Leader also expressed prayers and wishes for Pezeshkian’s success, adding that the nation’s vote and his endorsement will persist as long as the president follows his usual approach on the straight path of Islam and the Revolution.

Pezeshkian will take the oath of office in parliament on Tuesday.

The 69-year-old trained heart surgeon garnered more than 16 million votes against ex-nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, who secured upwards of 13 million out of over 30 million votes cast, with the voter turnout standing at almost 50 percent.

In a victory speech, Pezeshkian described his triumph as the start of “a new chapter” for the country.

The election was called early after Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi lost his life in a helicopter crash in May.

Leader: Iran’s democracy not achieved easily

Delivering a speech at the event, the Leader said Iran’s “democracy is mixed with competition and healthiness.”

“This democracy that exists today in our country was not obtained cheaply and easily, it is the result of people’s uprising against a chaotic and disastrous situation that prevailed in the past,” he emphasized.

“From the first day of the victory of the [1979] Islamic Revolution, the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, firmly established an unprecedented matter in the country that is the people’s involvement, presence, and influence in managing the country.”

Ayatollah Khamenei further said that the Islamic Republic has in the past more than 40 years witnessed dozens of elections that were held in a healthy and competitive atmosphere with the motivated presence of the people.

He also expressed his satisfaction with the holding of the presidential vote, saying, “Thank God, the people elected a competent president... We all have to help him and his government do great jobs.”

Meanwhile, the Leader advised the future government and officials to work tirelessly and without expecting a wage in a manner resembling jihad (endeavor for the sake of God).

He said that the three branches of the Iranian government—executive, legislative, and judiciary— and the Armed forces should play a role based on their duties wherever they are needed.

Ayatollah Khamenei also asserted that economic issues are a priority today, stressing, “A calculated, strong and persistent economic mobility is required.”

“Of course, in the previous government, valuable works were done, which should continue. Other works should also be added to them.”

“In all the elections that have taken place, the Iranian nation has won and we have no loser,” he said, adding that those who supported a failed candidate “are part of the Iranian nation and victorious, too.”

The leader urged officials to do whatever that is within their power on the international level while protecting the nation’s dignity, however, he advised them not to ignore “capabilities and initiatives inside the country.”

He further called for the country to adopt an “active and effective” approach in the face of global issues, especially regional ones.

The Islamic Republic has priorities in its foreign relations, one of which is its neighbors, he pointed out.

Also in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed 39,324 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 90,830 others since October 7, 2023.

“The issue of Palestine was once only the issue of Muslim countries, but today the issue of Palestine and Gaza is a global issue,” he said.

“The Zionist regime is showing its ugliest face as a criminal gang,” setting a new record in “assassinations, cruelty and atrocity,” he continued.

The Leader highlighted Israel’s failure to ground and defeat the resistance despite the help of the US and some other “treacherous governments.”

He also said that the US Congress “brought great disgrace” to itself by listening to an address by “criminal” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Pezeshkian vows to follow path of justice

In a speech, President Pezeshkian pledged to pursue no path other than that of justice.

He said that “returning dignity and honor to the country is only possible through unity, and sticking to the law.”

“We must join hands to address problems, needs, and concerns of the beloved people of our country,” he added.

“A society that is convergent and law-oriented can see the strengthening of its administration and society.”

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