Iran’s President promises stability with all countries, warns US countries will not be confused

Tehran, Iran — Iran’s president-elect said his government will develop “a balance in relations with all countries in line with national interests and the necessary conditions for peace”, but stressed that his country “will not respond to pressure” from the United States.

Massoud Pezeshkian wrote “My message to the new world” in the country’s state-owned Tehran Times late Friday, praising the latest presidential election which “demonstrated remarkable stability” and “fulfilled the promises made during my campaign.” Vowed to maintain “. ,

Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker, helped hardline former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili win a July 5 general election to replace President Ibrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May.

He said in his message that his administration would “prioritize strengthening relations with our neighbors” and called on Arab countries to use “all diplomatic leverage” to push for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that began in October. requested. 7.

Iran has long supported the terrorist group Hamas, and Pezeshkian expressed his full support for the “Plastician resistance” in a message to the group’s head Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday.

In the letter Friday, Pezeshkian praised his country’s relations with Russia and China, which have “constantly stood by us during challenging times.” He said Moscow is “a valuable strategic ally” and that his government will expand bilateral cooperation. He also expressed his willingness to “support initiatives” aimed at achieving peace in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which has entered its third year.

The president also said he looked forward to pursuing cooperation with Beijing and praised Beijing for the agreement to normalize relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia after seven years of diplomatic tensions.

Pezeshkian said he was eager to engage in constructive dialogue with European countries “based on the principles of mutual respect,” regardless of a relationship that has “had its ups and downs.”

In May 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – a nuclear agreement that still included Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. Since then, Western powers have accused the Islamic Republic of expanding its nuclear program and enriching uranium to the 60% degree, a near-weapons-grade range. The US has issued crippling, basically financial, sanctions against Iran.

Pezeshkian accused the EU of reneging on the loyalty it owed to international locations following the US withdrawal to safeguard “effective banking transactions, effective protection of companies from US sanctions and promotion of investment in Iran”. However, he said there are still many opportunities for cooperation between Iran and Europe.

He then addressed the US, emphasizing his country’s refusal to “respond to pressure” and saying that Iran “entered the JCPOA in 2015 in good faith and fully met our obligations.” Pezeshkian said the US withdrawal has “cost our economy hundreds of billions of dollars” and that the sanctions have caused “untold suffering, death and destruction on the Iranian people – especially during the Covid pandemic”.

Pezeshkian said Western countries “not only missed a historic opportunity to reduce and manage tensions in the region and the world, but also seriously weakened the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.” He stressed that “Iran’s defense doctrine does not include nuclear weapons.”

Iran has held indirect talks with President Joe Biden’s administration, though there has been no clear movement toward lifting economic sanctions to disrupt Tehran’s nuclear program.

In his open letter, Pezeshkian also accused the US administration of escalating “hostilities” by assassinating General Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Iran’s regional military activities, who was killed in a US drone strike in neighboring Iraq in 2020.

In addition to regional turmoil and strained relations over Iran’s nuclear program, Iran’s president faces a number of challenges at the local level. He now has to convince an angry public, many of whom are under financial pressure from sanctions, hyperinflation and unemployment, that he can deliver the promised changes while working with an administration that is still largely fundamentalist. Are governed by.

Pezeshkian has aligned himself with other liberal and reformist figures since his presidential campaign. His chief adviser has been former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who arrived at the 2015 JCPOA. Pezeshkian appointed Zarif as head of the Strategic Council for the transition period of management. The council, composed of experts and advisors, will focus on assessing potential applicants for key Cabinet positions and ensuring the leadership’s continued service.