Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sworn in with chants of “Death to America, Israel”

Tehran, Iran:

Iranian reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in before Parliament on Tuesday as the ninth president of the Islamic republic, in a ceremony attended by foreign dignitaries.

Pezeshkian won a runoff against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili on July 5 to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May.

Tuesday’s ceremony came two days after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei officially endorsed Pezeshkian and gave presidential powers to the 69-year-old heart surgeon.

“I, as president, before the Holy Quran and the people of Iran, swear by Almighty God to be the guardian of the official religion, the system of the Islamic Republic and the country’s constitution,” Pezeshkian said at the ceremony that was broadcast to the live on state TV.

Pezeshkian, who is expected to reveal his government within two weeks, received more than 16 million votes during the second round, or about 54 percent of the approximately 30 million votes cast.

Iran’s presidential elections took place in a context of heightened regional tensions since the start of the war in Gaza in early October, disputes with Western powers over Iran’s nuclear program and internal discontent over the state of the economy hit by sanctions. .

Tuesday’s ceremony was attended by senior officials from several countries, including Armenia, Tajikistan, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Cuba and Brazil.

European Union envoy Enrique Mora was also present.

Regional allies backed by Iran were also present, including Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad chief Ziyad al-Nakhalah.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement was represented by the group’s deputy secretary-general, Naim Qassem, while Yemen’s Huthi rebels sent spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam.

‘Death to Israel’

Haniyeh and Nakhalah, whose groups have been fighting Israel in the Gaza Strip since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, met with Khamenei and Pezeshkian.

“Support for the cause of the oppressed Palestinian nation will continue in strength and no factor can disturb our will in this direction,” Pezeshkian said in a statement on Monday.

Tuesday’s inauguration ceremony came amid concerns about war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah following a rocket attack from Lebanon on Saturday on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

Israel accused Hezbollah of responsibility for the attack that killed 12 children, but the Iranian-backed Lebanese group denied any involvement.

During Tuesday’s ceremony, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf gave a speech criticizing what he called Israel’s “crimes” in Gaza.

Some Iranians present in parliament shouted: “Death to Israel, Death to America”.

Iran has made support for the Palestinian cause a centerpiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic revolution and welcomed Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.

The president of Iran is not the head of state and the final authority rests with the supreme leader – a position held by Khamenei for the last 35 years.

On Monday, Pezeshkian warned Israel against attacking Lebanon, saying such an act would have “heavy consequences.”

Since his election, Iran’s new president has reaffirmed support for the so-called “axis of resistance”, groups aligned with Tehran, such as Hezbollah and the Huthis, who support Hamas against archenemy Israel.

Pezeshkian was the only candidate representing Iran’s reformist camp allowed to run in Iran’s presidential elections, for which all candidates were approved by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council.

During his campaign, the former Health Minister promised to try to relaunch a 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, which collapsed in 2018, after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement.

The deal provided Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activity.

Pezeshkian recently called for “constructive relations” with European countries, although he accused them of reneging on commitments to mitigate the impact of new US sanctions.

(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)