The election of Masoud Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon who hopes to revive the nuclear deal with the West, as Iran’s president after snap elections highlighted the major challenges facing the country’s clerical leadership.
Pezeshkian defeated hardline Islamist Said Jalili, 58, by nearly 3 million votes in a runoff that was attended by only slightly more people than in last week’s first round, according to officials. high.
Pezeshkian, who served as health minister under former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, takes over at a complex and difficult time in Iran and abroad.
The Islamic Republic has faced a serious legitimacy crisis for years, with frequent protests that directly challenge religious institutions and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The conflict between Iran and Israel has also reached dangerous levels in recent months. The two countries nearly went to war after a direct strike in April. Tensions remain high in the region as Israel continues its war in Gaza against Iran-backed Hamas and becomes further entangled in the conflict with Hezbollah, which is heavily backed by the Islamic Republic.
He also faces the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House after the US election in November. Trump’s foreign policy during his initial term in office from 2017 to 2021 was to pursue a hostile “maximum pressure” strategy against Iran that destabilized the Persian Gulf, disrupted oil markets, and nearly triggered outright war.
It was Trump who abandoned the nuclear deal agreed to by his predecessor, Barack Obama.
Turnout in early elections triggered by the death of cleric Ebrahim Raisi in May was the lowest in Iran’s presidential election history, underscoring how deeply unsettled and troubled Khamenei’s political system is. distrust.
Pezeshkian’s appointment will mark a sharp departure from his predecessor Lacey. He is the first non-cleric since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be elected president, and his nearly clean-shaven face and forthright style underscore his affinity with a clergy that has faced unprecedented levels of opposition in recent years. People people elite distance.
Although he was regarded as a modern-minded and highly educated man, he was also deeply religious. His frequent use of English business jargon in televised debates, balanced by reciting the Quran, has won him more support from conservative voters.
Pezeshkian pledged during his campaign to tackle high inflation, seek to lift sanctions and restore a crumbling nuclear deal with world powers. He is surrounded by moderates and reformists from former President Hassan Rouhani’s foreign policy team, including former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
But he may face a difficult time in office. Iran’s parliament is dominated by hardliners who have scuttled previous efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal and have staunchly opposed attempts to change banking laws to comply with Financial Action Task Force standards.
Pezeshkian will also target the backlash against strict laws on women’s clothing and their harsh treatment by security forces. This is a goal that his reformist and moderate predecessors largely failed to achieve, as much of Iran’s policy is ultimately determined by unelected bodies such as the judiciary or Khamenei himself.
