<p>Iranian reformist politician&nbsp;Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in on Tuesday (July 30) as the Islamic Republic's ninth president in parliament at a ceremony attended by foreign dignitaries.</p>

<p>"I as the president, in front of the Holy Koran and the people of Iran, swear to almighty God to be the guardian of the official religion and the Islamic Republic system and the constitution of the country," Pezeshkian said in the ceremony broadcast live on state TV.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-delivers-reformist-verdict-as-cardiac-surgeon-pezeshkian-wins-hearts-in-presidential-elections-738393">Iran delivers reformist verdict as cardiac surgeon Pezeshkian wins hearts in presidential elections</a></strong></p>

<p>Iran has a president and a parliament (Majlis). But unlike modern-day democracies, in Iran, one Supreme Leader exerts both ideological and political control of the entire elected power structure.</p>

<p>Pezeshkian has replaced the late ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi who died in a May helicopter crash.</p>

<p>The&nbsp;reformist politician has been sworn in as Iran's president&nbsp;amid heightened regional tensions over the Gaza war, a dispute with the West over the country's nuclear programme, and domestic discontent over the state of Iran's sanctions-hit economy.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/masoud-pezeshkian-irans-heart-specialist-president-is-single-dad-who-stood-for-mahsa-amini-738454">Masoud Pezeshkian: Iran's heart-specialist president is single dad who stood for Mahsa Amini</a></strong></p>

<p>The swearing-in ceremony in Tehran came two days after the country's&nbsp;supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei officially endorsed Pezeshkian and gave the 69-year-old presidential powers.</p>

<p>The event was attended by senior officials from several countries including Armenia, Tajikistan, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Cuba and Brazil.&nbsp;</p>

<p>European Union envoy Enrique Mora was also present.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Regional Iran-backed allies were also in attendance, namely Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the head of the Islamic Jihad Ziyad al-Nakhalah.</p>

<p>Lebanon's Hezbollah movement was represented by the group's deputy secretary general Naim Qassem while Yemen's Houthi rebels sent spokesperson&nbsp;Mohammed Abdulsalam.</p>

<p>Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf gave an explosive speech about what he called Israel's "crimes" in Gaza.</p>

<p>Some Iranians present in parliament chanted: "Death to Israel, Death to America."</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Iranian reformist politician Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in on Tuesday (July 30) as the Islamic Republic's ninth president in parliament at a ceremony attended by foreign dignitaries.

Iranian reformist politician Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in on Tuesday (July 30) as the Islamic Republic's ninth president in parliament at a ceremony attended by foreign dignitaries. "I as the president, in front of the Holy Koran and the people of Iran, swear to almighty God to be the guardian of the official religion and the Islamic Republic system and the constitution of the country," Pezeshkian said in the ceremony broadcast live on state TV. Also read | Iran delivers reformist verdict as cardiac surgeon Pezeshkian wins hearts in presidential elections Iran has a president and a parliament (Majlis). But unlike modern-day democracies, in Iran, one Supreme Leader exerts both ideological and political control of the entire elected power structure. Pezeshkian has replaced the late ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi who died in a May helicopter crash. The reformist politician has been sworn in as Iran's president amid heightened regional tensions over the Gaza war, a dispute with the West over the country's nuclear programme, and domestic discontent over the state of Iran's sanctions-hit economy. Also read | Masoud Pezeshkian: Iran's heart-specialist president is single dad who stood for Mahsa Amini The swearing-in ceremony in Tehran came two days after the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei officially endorsed Pezeshkian and gave the 69-year-old presidential powers. The event 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 Iran-backed allies were also in attendance, namely Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the head of the Islamic Jihad Ziyad al-Nakhalah. Lebanon's Hezbollah movement was represented by the group's deputy secretary general Naim Qassem while Yemen's Houthi rebels sent spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf gave an explosive speech about what he called Israel's "crimes" in Gaza. Some Iranians present in parliament chanted: "Death to Israel, Death to America." (With inputs from agencies)

Masoud Pezeshkian sworn in as Iran's ninth president since 1979 revolution

<p>In reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran has found a new president over a month after President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash which necessitated&nbsp;snap elections. A cardiac surgeon and single dad who is seen as an advocate of greater freedoms for women in post-revolution Iran, Pezeshkian will now confront&nbsp;the challenge of navigating through his reformist policy agenda in a deeply conservative polity.</p>

<p>But there is one aspect of Pezeshkian's job in which he is expected to be on the same page as the Supreme Leader and incredibly powerful Guardian Council: bilateral ties with India.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-elections-will-cardiac-surgeon-pezeshkian-win-peoples-hearts-in-runoff-737606https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-elections-will-cardiac-surgeon-pezeshkian-win-peoples-hearts-in-runoff-737606">The structure of power in Iran: How is it different?</a></strong></p>

<p>On the economic front, Iran continues to face the burden of choking US&nbsp;sanctions amid Tehran's tacit insistence on becoming a nuclear power. But in recent years, Tehran has found a credible economic partner in New Delhi. The&nbsp;two countries recently formalised a crucial Chabahar port deal.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India has formalised some of its most significant foreign&nbsp;investments, with a deal for the operations of a part of&nbsp;Iran's Chabahar Port, located just 200 km from China-funded Gwadar port in Pakistan, and key to New Delhi's connectivity ambitions with Russia through Central Asia.</p>

<p><img alt="Iran is at the center of International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC)" src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/INSTC.png" /></p>

<p><em>Iran is at the centre of&nbsp;the International North-South&nbsp;Transport Corridor (INSTC) | WION</em></p>

<p>External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar visited Iran in January this year with a focus on concluding the Chabahar Port Deal and developments on the North-South Corridor.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-capitals-new-delhi-achieves-crucial-strategic-breakthrough-with-tehran-outreach-682114">The Capitals: New Delhi achieves crucial strategic breakthrough with Tehran outreach</a></strong></p>

<p>Five months after Jaishankar's Tehran visit in which the two sides committed to a "long term cooperation framework" over Chabahar port's development, India and Iran signed a 10-year contract for equipping and operation of general cargo and container terminals of Chabahar port.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-capitals-new-delhi-seals-deal-to-operate-chabahar-port-for-a-decade-723100">The Capitals: New Delhi seals deal to operate Chabahar port for a decade; and more</a></strong></p>

<p>The Chabahar Port project is central to India's regional connectivity strategy and serves as a vital gateway for Indian goods into Afghanistan and Russia.&nbsp;The port's strategic location provides an alternative route for landlocked Afghanistan to access international markets, reducing its dependence on Pakistan and giving New Delhi&nbsp;a strategic advantage in a Taliban-run Kabul.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Pezeshkian in Tehran: What it means for New&nbsp;Delhi?</strong></h2>

<p><strong><img alt="Iran-India" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1655984b-1400-49f3-b8ef-1f90d55f96d1" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2828%29_4.png" /></strong></p>

<p>In past, even when the Conservative presidents were in power in Iran, New Delhi managed to utilise its diplomatic capital in the West to secure a waiver of sanctions for economic cooperation with Tehran&nbsp;— especially for Chabahar's development.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But with Pezeshkian's promising outlook for&nbsp;country's better ties with the West along with the rest of the world&nbsp;— and India's elevated ties with most Western powers&nbsp;— it will make New Delhi's economic cooperation with Tehran devoid of geopolitical brakes.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Iran election: Reformer Masoud Pezeshkian elected new president</strong></p>

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<p>As the world's fifth biggest economy with a per capita income as less as $2400, it's in India's interest to ensure feasible connectivity routes so that Indians back home are able to get cheaper goods.</p>


In reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran has found a new president over a month after President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash which necessitated snap elections.

In reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran has found a new president over a month after President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash which necessitated snap elections. A cardiac surgeon and single dad who is seen as an advocate of greater freedoms for women in post-revolution Iran, Pezeshkian will now confront the challenge of navigating through his reformist policy agenda in a deeply conservative polity. But there is one aspect of Pezeshkian's job in which he is expected to be on the same page as the Supreme Leader and incredibly powerful Guardian Council: bilateral ties with India. Also read | The structure of power in Iran: How is it different? On the economic front, Iran continues to face the burden of choking US sanctions amid Tehran's tacit insistence on becoming a nuclear power. But in recent years, Tehran has found a credible economic partner in New Delhi. The two countries recently formalised a crucial Chabahar port deal. India has formalised some of its most significant foreign investments, with a deal for the operations of a part of Iran's Chabahar Port, located just 200 km from China-funded Gwadar port in Pakistan, and key to New Delhi's connectivity ambitions with Russia through Central Asia. Iran is at the centre of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) | WION External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar visited Iran in January this year with a focus on concluding the Chabahar Port Deal and developments on the North-South Corridor. Also read | The Capitals: New Delhi achieves crucial strategic breakthrough with Tehran outreach Five months after Jaishankar's Tehran visit in which the two sides committed to a "long term cooperation framework" over Chabahar port's development, India and Iran signed a 10-year contract for equipping and operation of general cargo and container terminals of Chabahar port. Also read | The Capitals: New Delhi seals deal to operate Chabahar port for a decade; and more The Chabahar Port project is central to India's regional connectivity strategy and serves as a vital gateway for Indian goods into Afghanistan and Russia. The port's strategic location provides an alternative route for landlocked Afghanistan to access international markets, reducing its dependence on Pakistan and giving New Delhi a strategic advantage in a Taliban-run Kabul. Pezeshkian in Tehran: What it means for New Delhi? In past, even when the Conservative presidents were in power in Iran, New Delhi managed to utilise its diplomatic capital in the West to secure a waiver of sanctions for economic cooperation with Tehran — especially for Chabahar's development. But with Pezeshkian's promising outlook for country's better ties with the West along with the rest of the world — and India's elevated ties with most Western powers — it will make New Delhi's economic cooperation with Tehran devoid of geopolitical brakes. Also watch | Iran election: Reformer Masoud Pezeshkian elected new president × As the world's fifth biggest economy with a per capita income as less as $2400, it's in India's interest to ensure feasible connectivity routes so that Indians back home are able to get cheaper goods.

Why reformist Pezeshkian may ease economic cooperation between India and Iran

<p>Iranians began voting in the country's snap presidential polls on Friday (June 28), over a month after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month. Top Iranian leaders, including the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, entered voting centers to cast their vote for country's president whose influence is regulated by an all-powerful Guardian Council of 12 clerics.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Around 61 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the polls. Of the six presidential candidates approved to run for presidency by the Guardian Council, two backed out less than 24 hours before the first ballot was cast. The field now consists of four candidates: reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, 69, and three Khamenei loyalists, namely the nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi.</p>

<p>Two ultraconservatives, who dropped out on June 27, are Tehran major Alireza Zakani and Raisi's former vice president Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi.</p>

<p><strong>Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-elections-one-reformist-four-khameini-loyalists-to-battle-it-out-in-june-28-polls-735562">Iran elections: One reformist, three Khamenei loyalists to battle it out in June 28 polls</a></strong></p>

<p>Ahead of the voting, some Iranian citizens raised concerns about the state of country's economy which is still reeling under US sanctions despite Tehran's bettering financial partnerships with Moscow, Central Asian capitals, Islamabad and New Delhi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Speaking from Tehran's Tajrish market, Mohammed Mehdi, a student, hoped for a better state of higher education after Friday's polls. "The cost of education is my challenge as a student as it has gone rapidly up. The ease of access to higher education is what I expect which would eventually lead to a better economic situation," Mehdi told WION.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ali Akbar Hosseini, a street vendor, favoured parliamentary speaker Bagher Ghalibaf in the polls because they come from the same town: Torqabeh, near Mashhad, in the province of Razavi Khorasan over 900 km east of Tehran.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I just feel its necessary for all of us to vote. My duty is to vote. People should do something to address their problems by voting and not leave everything to the government," Hosseini told WION.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Iran Presidential elections 2024: Iran begins voting in presidential election with limited choices</strong></p>

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<p>Hassan Gudarzi, a student of mathematics, expected a future president to ensure better ties with neighbouring countries.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I expect more welfare by the government for the people and better relations with other countries specifically with neighbouring countries. There should be more diplomacy, more negotiations that would lead to making more relations with other countries which would be better for the country," Gudarzi told WION.</p>

<p>For overall stability in West Asia, Iran, with Beijing's mediation, restored its ties with Saudi Arabia in March 2023. But after its embassy in Syria was attacked in an alleged Israeli attack in April, Tehran launched missiles inside Israel earlier this year in a major escalation of a larger conflict in the region amid Israeli bombardments in Gaza. The attacks in the region by Iran-linked militia have been a major source of turbulence in West Asia.</p>


Iranians began voting in the country's snap presidential polls on Friday (June 28), over a month after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month.

Iranians began voting in the country's snap presidential polls on Friday (June 28), over a month after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month. Top Iranian leaders, including the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, entered voting centers to cast their vote for country's president whose influence is regulated by an all-powerful Guardian Council of 12 clerics. Around 61 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the polls. Of the six presidential candidates approved to run for presidency by the Guardian Council, two backed out less than 24 hours before the first ballot was cast. The field now consists of four candidates: reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, 69, and three Khamenei loyalists, namely the nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi. Two ultraconservatives, who dropped out on June 27, are Tehran major Alireza Zakani and Raisi's former vice president Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi. Also read | Iran elections: One reformist, three Khamenei loyalists to battle it out in June 28 polls Ahead of the voting, some Iranian citizens raised concerns about the state of country's economy which is still reeling under US sanctions despite Tehran's bettering financial partnerships with Moscow, Central Asian capitals, Islamabad and New Delhi. Speaking from Tehran's Tajrish market, Mohammed Mehdi, a student, hoped for a better state of higher education after Friday's polls. "The cost of education is my challenge as a student as it has gone rapidly up. The ease of access to higher education is what I expect which would eventually lead to a better economic situation," Mehdi told WION. Ali Akbar Hosseini, a street vendor, favoured parliamentary speaker Bagher Ghalibaf in the polls because they come from the same town: Torqabeh, near Mashhad, in the province of Razavi Khorasan over 900 km east of Tehran. "I just feel its necessary for all of us to vote. My duty is to vote. People should do something to address their problems by voting and not leave everything to the government," Hosseini told WION. Also watch | Iran Presidential elections 2024: Iran begins voting in presidential election with limited choices × Hassan Gudarzi, a student of mathematics, expected a future president to ensure better ties with neighbouring countries. "I expect more welfare by the government for the people and better relations with other countries specifically with neighbouring countries. There should be more diplomacy, more negotiations that would lead to making more relations with other countries which would be better for the country," Gudarzi told WION. For overall stability in West Asia, Iran, with Beijing's mediation, restored its ties with Saudi Arabia in March 2023. But after its embassy in Syria was attacked in an alleged Israeli attack in April, Tehran launched missiles inside Israel earlier this year in a major escalation of a larger conflict in the region amid Israeli bombardments in Gaza. The attacks in the region by Iran-linked militia have been a major source of turbulence in West Asia.

Iranians vote in snap polls with hopes of better economy, regional stability

<p>Iran announced Monday it will hold presidential elections on June 28, state media reported, following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage in a helicopter crash.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;Iran to hold Presidential elections on June 28 following Raisi's death</strong></p>

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<p>"The election calendar was approved at the meeting of the heads of the judiciary, government, and parliament," state television said. "According to the initial agreement of the Guardian Council, it was decided that the 14th presidential election will be held on June 28."</p>


Iran announced Monday it will hold presidential elections on June 28, state media reported, following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage in a helicopter crash.

Iran announced Monday it will hold presidential elections on June 28, state media reported, following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage in a helicopter crash. Also read | Iran to hold Presidential elections on June 28 following Raisi's death × "The election calendar was approved at the meeting of the heads of the judiciary, government, and parliament," state television said. "According to the initial agreement of the Guardian Council, it was decided that the 14th presidential election will be held on June 28."

Iran announces election date to choose new president after Ebrahim Raisi's death in helicopter crash

Emboldened by the new hardliner president in Iran, Lebanon's Hezbollah launched rocket strikes on Israel. Is Ebrahim Raisi looking to revive the lost glory of Iran's Islamic revolution? Will his election bolster the axis of resistance?

Gravitas: Iran's new president unsettles West Asia

During his first news conference with journalists after Friday’s election, Iran’s president-elect Ebrahim Raisi said he would not meet with US President Joe Biden. Asked about Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support of regional militias, Raisi described the issues as “non-negotiable.”

Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi says 'no' to meeting Joe Biden