Leader endorses Pezeshkian's presidential decree

The endorsement ceremony of president-elect Pezeshkian was held on Sunday morning, in the presence of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and other Iranian and foreign officials.

The ceremony started at 10:00 am local time at Imam Khomeini Hussainia.

Iranian high-ranking authorities, military officials, a group of the country's academics, families of martyrs, and the envoys of different states to Tehran attended the ceremony.

The swearing-in ceremony of Pezeshkian will be held in the parliament on July 30.

Pezeshkian received more than 16 million votes against former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili with more than 13 million out of over 30 million votes cast, electoral authorities said.

The runoff on Friday followed a June 28 ballot in a snap election to find a successor to President Ebrahim Raeisi who lost his life with his foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran.

At the beginning of the meeting, the interior minister of President Raeisi's administration Ahmad Vahidi presented a report on the process of holding the snap elections to elect the new president of the Islamic Republic.

He also thanked the Iranian nation and the relevant bodies and officials for assisting in the successful holding of the presidential elections.

After Vahidi's remarks, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution granted the presidential decree to Masoud Pezeshkian, officially announcing him as the 9th President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In the decree, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the fate-determining test of the presidential election ended with calmness in difficult conditions thanks to the endeavors of people and officials, and the person chosen by the nation became ready to take on a great responsibility.

He also described the 14th presidential vote, which was held after martyred president Ebrahim Raeisi's unfinished term of office, as “one of the honors of the Iranian nation and a sign of the establishment of a sustainable Islamic system that indicate the rationality and sobriety of the country’s political environment.”

The Leader wished Pezeshkian success in his mission.

The text of the decree was read by the head of the Leader's office Hojjatoleslam Mohammadi Golpaygani.

Addressing his endorsement ceremony on Sunday, the Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said that the new government will follow the vision and general policies explained by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

Pezeshkian appreciated the forethought of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution that paved the way for the effective participation of the nation in the 14th term of the presidential elections.

Today, by endorsing the presidential decree, the Leader has officially made me obliged to carry out a great responsibility towards the entire nation of Iran, the Iranian president said.

From now on, the new government must follow the path, vision, and general policies explained by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, he said.

At the end of the ceremony, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution delivered a speech, advising the upcoming government to work hard to secure the interests of the Iranian nation.

He further advised the upcoming government to pay attention to all the issues of the country, including the social and cultural issues, but prioritize the issue of the economy and work to improve the situation of the Iranian nation's livelihood in a short time.

The internal capacities of the country should also be noticed, he said, adding, "Of course, this does not mean not using foreign facilities."

"In the face of global and regional waves and events, the country's response should be active and effective, not passive. Various political and scientific issues and extraordinary developments that happen, for example, in artificial intelligence, we must also be active in these issues," the Leader emphasized. "The 13th government made a good effort in this regard. Martyr Amir-Abdollahian was a good diplomat, he moved and worked well and this effort should be continued.

"One of our priorities in the field of foreign policy is our neighbors; We have about 14 neighbors around us. Communication with countries that can expand our diplomatic field, such as Asian and African countries, is very important. Communication with the countries that cooperated with us and supported us is important and this is our priority policy."

Western countries did not treat us well in these few years, he said, adding that Iran can also prioritize interaction with the Western states if they give up on such a behavior.