Congratulatory messages keep pouring in
Acting president briefs Pezeshkian on executive affairs
Iran’s President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian continues to receive congratulatory messages and pledges of support from both domestic and international officials, with Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei expressing hope that the new chief executive will take steps toward the country’s progress by taking advantage of national capabilities.
Ayatollah Khamenei on Saturday received Iran’s president-elect after his victory in Friday’s runoff presidential election.
Once again, the Leader congratulated Pezeshkian on his success in obtaining the majority of the votes and made necessary recommendations.
A pledge for campaign
promises
Pezeshkian received more than 16 million votes (about 53.6%) against former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili with more than 13 million (about 44.3%) out of over 30 million votes cast, with the voter turnout standing at about 50 percent.
In his first address to the nation after winning the election at the mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini on Saturday, the president-elect said he is ready to serve the noble Iranian nation and vowed to fulfill his campaign promises.
Pezeshkian said he would focus his efforts on promoting dialogue, convergence and national reconciliation in the country.
He also noted that he respects his competitor Jalili and tells all who voted for him that the competition has ended and the time has come for friendship in Iran.
The president-elect emphasized that he has no intention to limit people’s desires and will rather seek to “remove the shadow of sanctions, threats and war from Iran.”
He stressed the need to promote dialogue and constructive interaction with the world to serve national interests and meet people’s needs.
Pezeshkian called on the people to help him fulfill his promises and overcome the challenges and crises faced by the country.
Meanwhile, in a meeting on Sunday, Acting President Mohammad Mokhber briefed Pezeshkian on the latest status of the executive affairs, as the 14th administration is going to take office within the next few weeks.
Mokhber provided the president-elect with general information about the political, economic, cultural and social affairs that were handled by the administration of late President Ebrahim Raisi, who lost his life in a tragic helicopter crash on May 19.
Top military brass ‘ready’ to cooperate
In separate congratulatory messages on Sunday, Iran’s top military brass voiced readiness to cooperate with Pezeshkian’s government.
Iran’s highest-ranking military commander expressed the Armed Forces’ readiness to cooperate and interact with the president-elect’s administration.
“I hope that by further strengthening the defense capabilities of the Armed Forces, we will make a big leap in establishing the authority, deterrence power, security and defense of the sacred ideals of the Islamic Republic and our holy land,” Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said.
Iranian Army Chief Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi also lauded the “fervent” presence of Iranian voters at the polls as he felicitated Pezeshkian on his presidential win.
Mousavi expressed the readiness of the Army to interact with the Iranian president-elect and his government and to “use the ample and valuable capacities” of the force in the path of the 14th administration’s success.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani wished him success in fulfilling his presidential tasks during his tenure, announcing “the readiness of the scientists and servicemen in the field of defense and science and technology in the Ministry of Defense in all-out cooperation [with the new government] and protection of the achievements of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
US, EU response
In its first reaction to the results of the Iranian presidential election, the US State Department reiterated false accusations and claimed that the vote was “not free or fair” and would not “lead to fundamental change in Iran’s direction.”
However, the department said that the US would continue to use diplomacy with Tehran “when it advances American interests,” according to AP.
But, the European Union on Saturday expressed its readiness to engage with Iran’s new administration.
Nabila Massrali, the spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union congratulated the Iranian president-elect, saying, “We take note of the results of the presidential elections in Iran and congratulate President elect Massoud Pezeshkian.”
“We are ready to engage with the new government in line with EU policy of critical engagement,” Massrali wrote on X.
In remarks published in Italian newspapers, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy Edmund Chirilly congratulated the people and government of Iran on the occasion of the election of the new president.
“I hope that we can cooperate to establish peace and stability in the region, especially in the Gulf of Aden and the Middle East in general,” Chirilly said.
Hezbollah to stay with Iran
Hezbollah also congratulated Pezeshkian on his victory, pledging that the movement would keep treading down the path of resistance alongside the Islamic Republic under the would-be Iranian chief executive.
The Lebanese resistance movement’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Hezbollah had always looked to Iran as a “strong and stable support base” for the resistance elements and the oppressed people ever since the victory of the country’s Islamic Revolution under the founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini.
“Your Excellency, we will remain on this path with you, God willing, until we achieve final victory, the main pillar of which will be a strong, dear, and powerful Islamic Iran.”
Also, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the ruling Taliban government in Afghanistan congratulated Pezeshkinan in a statement on Sunday.
Taliban expressed hope that “with the establishment of the new government, relations between the two neighboring and Muslim countries will further strengthen and expand in various fields.”