A 69-year-old cardiac surgeon, Pezeshkian has served as the parliament’s first deputy speaker and as health minister under former President Mohammad Khatami.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian following his victory in Iran’s presidential election.
Sheikh Tamim expressed his hopes for Pezeshkian’s success and further development of relations between the two countries.
Pezeshkian secured the presidency with 53.7% of the votes, totalling 16.3 million out of over 30 million ballots cast. His opponent and runner up, Saeed Jalili, received 44.3% of the vote, amounting to 13.5 million.
Pezeshkian, seen as a centrist and reform-minded candidate, pledged to unite 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,” he said on Saturday.
Regional leaders, including Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MbS, also congratulated Pezeshkian. MbS emphasised his dedication to enhancing bilateral relations and serving mutual interests.
In March 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic ties in a China-brokered deal, leading to increased contact aimed at strengthening their relationship.
The United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed his well-wishes for Pezeshkian’s success and looked forward to further strengthening ties between the UAE and Iran.
The UAE, maintaining trade relations with Tehran, upgraded these ties in 2019 after a previous downgrade. In April, the two nations held a joint economic cooperation commission meeting for the first time in a decade.
The voter turnout for the run-off was 49.8%, following a June 28 ballot that saw over 60% abstaining. This first round was marked by a historically low turnout.
Pezeshkian, who secured 42.5% of the votes in the first round compared to Jalili’s 38.7%, is set to assume office within 30 days.
As a current member of parliament for Tabriz, he must first resign, pending parliamentary approval.
The new president will be officially endorsed by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei before being sworn in at Parliament.
Pezeshkian, during his speech on Saturday, praised Khamenei, signalling his intent to maintain easy relations with Iran’s political establishment.
Both presidential candidates had campaigned on reviving Iran’s struggling economy, which has suffered from crippling sanctions reimposed by the United States in 2018.
The elections come against the backdrop of escalating regional tensions due to the war widely referred to as genocidal, in Gaza. There are ongoing disputes with Western countries over Iran’s nuclear programme, and widespread domestic dissatisfaction with the sanctions-stricken economy.
Still, Pezeshkian will implement state policies as outlined by Khamenei, who holds the ultimate authority.
Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old cardiac surgeon, has served as the parliament’s first deputy speaker and as health minister under former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami.
He previously ran for president in 2013 and 2021, withdrawing and failing to qualify, respectively.
