The government of USA must realize that Iran will not succumb to any pressure placed on it, the president-elect emphasized Massoud Pezeskian in a statement released today, in which he also praised the Islamic Republic’s friendly relations with China and with Russia.

Mr. Pezeskian, who is considered a moderate and won over a hard-line candidate in the election, also reaffirmed that Tehran has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons, while stressing that his government will seek to expand and improve its relations with states in the region and with Europe.

“The US (…) must recognize the reality and understand, once and for all, that Iran does not – and will not – succumb to pressure” and that “Iran’s defense doctrine does not include nuclear weapons”, he stressed Mr. Pezeskian in his “message to the new world” published in Iran’s English-language Tehran Times newspaper.

THE Massoud Pezeskian, a heart surgeon, 69, has vowed to pursue a pragmatic foreign policy, de-escalating tensions, particularly in negotiations aimed at reinstating the 2015 international agreement on the country’s nuclear energy program (officially the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , or KOSD). He has also promised to promote social reforms that will bring more freedoms and more political pluralism.

However, there are many doubts, especially at home, about whether the new president will be able to dramatically change Iran’s politics, since the one who holds power in his hands is the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In his text, Mr. Pezeskian also emphasizes that “China and Russia have consistently stood by us in difficult times” and adds that “we consider their friendship extremely valuable.”

Russia is a “valuable ally and neighbor of Iran” and “my government will remain committed to expanding and improving our cooperation,” Mr. Pezheskian says, but at the same time promises to “actively support peace initiatives” in Ukraine.

“The Iranian people entrusted me with the firm mandate to pursue (…) constructive cooperation in the international arena while at the same time insisting on the defense of our rights, our dignity and the role we deserve in the region and in the world,” adds Massoud Pezeskian, addressing ” open invitation to those who want to accompany us in this historic undertaking”.

Massoud Pezeskian names veteran diplomat as his top adviser

Iran’s newly elected president, Massoud Pezheskian, has named a veteran diplomat, considered a political moderate, as his top adviser.

According to Iranian media reports, Mr Mohammad Javad Zarif will advise the new president of the Islamic Republic on domestic and foreign policy issues during the transition phase of the power transfer process. In this capacity, he is also expected to contribute to the selection of the ministers of the new scheme.

Mr Zarif, a seasoned diplomat, was foreign minister in his day Hassan Rouhani in the presidency (2013-2021) and played a key role in concluding the international agreement on the nuclear energy program with six major powers in 2015.

He generally advocates improved relations with the West and direct dialogue with the US, the archenemy of Iran’s clerical regime.

With input from Mr. Zarif and other diplomats on his team, Mr. Pezeskian he reportedly hopes that negotiations on the nuclear energy program will resume and that the sanctions that are crippling part of the Iranian economy will be lifted.

The 69-year-old new president plans to create a new foreign policy. “We want to open new horizons” and “expand our friendly relations with the outside world,” he said, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency. He will seek equal relations governed by mutual respect, according to the agency’s report.

According to still unconfirmed information, a former close associate of Mr. Zarif, Mr Abbas Aragchi, it is assumed that he will take over the position of foreign minister.

Mr. Aragchi is also one of the most experienced Iranian diplomats. The one-time ambassador to Finland and Japan later served as deputy foreign minister and was No. 2 — second only to then-foreign minister Zarif — on the team that negotiated the international agreement on the country’s nuclear energy program, formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (KOSD).

However, there are many doubts about whether the new president will be able to dramatically change Iran’s politics, since the one who holds the power in his hands is the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, the Ayatollahs Ali Khamenei.