Pezeshkian says favors balance in foreign relations
Iran’s newly elected president said his government will create “balance in relations with all countries” in line with national interests and the prerequisites for peace but alerted the United States that his country “will not respond to pressure.”
Masoud Pezeshkian penned “My Message To The New World” in the country’s state-owned Tehran Times late Friday, praising the latest presidential election that “demonstrated remarkable stability,” and vowing to uphold “promises I made during my campaign.”
Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon and veteran lawmaker, bested former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to clinch July 5’s runoff election to replace president Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May.
“The Iranian people have entrusted me with a strong mandate to vigorously pursue constructive engagement on the international stage while insisting on our rights, our dignity and our deserved role in the region and the world,” he said in his message.
Ties with neighbors
He said his administration would “prioritize strengthening relations with our neighbors.”
Pezeshkian said he firmly believes that “neighboring and brotherly nations should not waste their valuable resources on erosive competitions, arms races, or the unwarranted containment of each other.”
“Instead, we will aim to create an environment where our resources can be devoted to the progress and development of the region for the benefit of all,” he stated.
“We look forward to cooperating with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and regional organizations to deepen our economic ties, bolster trade relations, promote joint-venture investment, tackle common challenges, and move towards establishing a regional framework for dialogue, confidence building and development,” Pezeshkian added.
The president-elect wrote that as a first measure, his administration “will urge our neighboring Arab countries to collaborate and utilize all political and diplomatic leverages to prioritize achieving a permanent ceasefire in Gaza with the aim of stopping the massacre and preventing the broadening of the conflict.”
Relations with Russia,
China
Pezeshkian, in the letter on Friday, hailed his country’s relations with Russia and China which “consistently stood by us during challenging times.” He said Moscow was “a valued strategic ally” and his government would expand bilateral cooperation. He also expressed willingness to “support initiatives aimed at” achieving peace between Russia and Ukraine in the ongoing war that entered its third year.
The new chief executive also said he looked forward to furthering cooperation with Beijing and applauded it for brokering a deal to normalize relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia after seven years of diplomatic tensions.
Constructive dialogue
Pezeshkian said he looks forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with European countries “based on principles of mutual respect” despite a relationship that has known “its ups and downs.”
In May 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear agreement that also included Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany and reimposed sanctions on Iran.
Pezeshkian accused the European countries of reneging on their JCPOA-related commitments following the US withdrawal to ensure “effective banking transactions, effective protection of companies from US sanctions, and the promotion of investments in Iran.” However, he added there were still many opportunities for collaboration between Iran and Europe.
“Despite these missteps, I look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with European countries to set our relations on the right path, based on principles of mutual respect and equal footing.”
European Union spokeswoman Nabila Massrali had earlier congratulated Pezeshkian on his election, saying the 27-member bloc was “ready to engage with the new government in line with EU policy of critical engagement.”
US must face ‘reality’
Pezeshkian then addressed the US, underscoring the Islamic Republic’s strong resolve and its refusal to “respond to pressure.”
“The United States also needs to recognize the reality and understand, once and for all, that Iran does not – and will not – respond to pressure,” said Pezeshkian, who is to be sworn in on July 30.
He added that Iran “entered the JCPOA in 2015 in good faith and fully met our obligations.” Pezeshkian said the US backing out has inflicted “hundreds of billions of dollars in damages to our economy,” and caused “untold suffering, death and destruction on the Iranian people — particularly during the Covid pandemic” due to sanctions.
Pezeshkian said Western countries “not only missed a historic opportunity to reduce and manage tensions in the region and the world, but also seriously undermined the Non-Proliferation Treaty.” He emphasized that “Iran’s defense doctrine does not include nuclear weapons.”
Pezeshkian also accused the US administration in his open letter of escalating “hostilities” by assassinating Iran’s Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in neighboring Iraq in
2020.