Centrist Masoud Pezeshkian defeated challenger and hardliner Saeed Jalili in a run-off.
Masoud Pezeshkian, who has pledged to open Iran to the world, decisively won a run-off and will become the country’s ninth elected president.
The sole moderate candidate in the race received 53.7 percent of the votes, or 16.3m of the more than 30 million ballots cast. His rival Saeed Jalili got 44.3 percent, or 13.5m.
On Saturday, Pezeshkian acknowledged “the difficult path ahead”, but extended a hand to all Iranians. “I extend my hand towards you and swear on my honour that I will not leave you alone on this path. Don’t leave me alone.”
World leaders congratulated Pezeshkian on his victory.
President Vladimir Putin congratulated Pezeshkian and said he hoped it would contribute to Russia-Iran relations.
“I hope that your tenure as president will contribute to a reinforcement of constructive bilateral cooperation between our friendly peoples,” Putin said.
Before the election, Putin met with the interim Iranian President Mohammad Mokhber on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Russia and Iran have been negotiating a comprehensive bilateral cooperation agreement, according to Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
King Salman and the crown prince congratulated Pezeshkian, state news agency SPA reported.
“I affirm my keenness on developing and deepening the relations between our countries and people and serve our mutual interests,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said.
In March 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations in a China-brokered deal after years of tensions. They have since increased regular contact in an effort to bolster relations.
President Ilham Aliyev welcomed Pezeshkian’s electoral success and said Azerbaijan placed “great importance” on relations with Iran.
“I am confident that through our joint efforts, we will ensure further strengthening of the traditional friendly relations and the expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran in line with the interests of our peoples and countries,” Aliyev said, as he invited Pezeshkian to visit.
Russia
Iran’s election was scheduled for 2025 but was held early after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in a mountainous area of the Iranian-Azerbaijan border on May 19 after a meeting with Aliyev to inaugurate a joint dam project.
Foreign Minister Yvan Gil congratulated Iran for its “commitment demonstrated to democracy” during the two rounds of the presidential vote.
Iran and Venezuela are close allies, and signed a 20-year strategic cooperation plan in 2022 during a Maduro visit to Tehran.
In his message to Pezeshkian, President Xi Jinping said: “I attach great importance to the development of China-Iran relations and am willing to work with the President to lead the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership towards deeper advancement”.
The two countries “have a long history of friendly exchanges, and bilateral relations have maintained healthy and stable development … for over half a century,” Xi said, according to state news agency Xinhua.
“Faced with complex regional and international situations, China and Iran have always supported each other, worked together and continued to consolidate strategic mutual trust,” he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he looked “forward to working closely” with Pezeshkian “to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship for the benefit of our peoples and the region”.
President Abdul Latif Rashid congratulated both Iran and the president-elect, “wishing him success in his official duties and in fulfilling the ambitions and aspirations of the Iranian people”.
In a post on X, he said: “We affirm our keenness to strengthen relations between Iraq and Iran in a way that serves the interests of the two neighboring countries and peoples.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he looked forward to working closely with Pezeshkian, and promoting peace and stability in the region.
“As neighboring countries, Pakistan & Iran enjoy a close & historic relationship. We must ensure a bright future for our two peoples through mutually beneficial cooperation,” he wrote on X.
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