Who is Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s new president-elect?

Iran’s new president-elect, the low-profile moderate Masoud Pezeshkian, carries the hopes of millions of Iranians seeking fewer restrictions on social freedom and a more prudent foreign policy.

The reformist candidate won Iran’s runoff presidential election on Saturday, beating hard-liner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country’s mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic.

World powers are likely to welcome Pezeshkian, hoping he might pursue peaceful ways out of a tense standoff over Iran’s fast-advancing nuclear programme.

Under Iran’s dual system of clerical and republican rule, though, the president hardly has any powers. He cannot bring about any major policy shift, since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls all the shots on top state matters such as the nuclear programme or support for militia groups across the Middle East. But the president can influence the tone of Iran’s policy and he will be closely involved in selecting the successor to Khamenei, now 85.

Here is more about Pezeshkian.

Who is Masoud Pezeshkian?

Pezeshkian, 69, is a cardiac surgeon who represents the first Iranian president from western Iran in decades — something people hope will aid the county, as those in the West are considered more tolerant because of the ethnic and religious diversity in their area.

Pezeshkian speaks Azeri, Farsi, and Kurdish, and campaigned on outreach to Iran’s many ethnicities. His core support base was believed to be the urban middle class and young, which has been widely disillusioned by years of security crackdowns that stifled any public dissent from the Islamist orthodoxy.

During the Iran-Iraq war in 1980s, Pezeshkian, a combatant and physician, was tasked with the deployment of medical teams to the front lines. He was health minister from 2001-2005 in Muhammad Khatami’s second term.

He lost his wife and one of his children in a car accident in 1994. He raised his surviving two sons and a daughter alone, opting to never remarry.

No challenge to Khamenei’s policies

Pezeshkian, a lawmaker since 2008, is faithful to Iran’s theocratic rule, with no intention to confront the powerful Shiite theocracy of the Islamic republic. In TV debates and interviews, he has promised not to contest Khamenei’s policies.

He has often honoured Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, on one occasion wearing its uniform to parliament. He has repeatedly criticized the United States and praised the Guard for shooting down an American drone in 2019, saying it “delivered a strong punch in the mouth of the Americans and proved to them that our country will not surrender.”

But, a more sensible voice

At the same time, he said after casting his vote in the first round: “We will respect the hijab law, but there should never be any intrusive or inhumane behaviour towards women.” Pezeshkian, an Azeri who supports the rights of fellow ethnic minorities, has also criticised the clerical establishment's suppression of political and social dissent.

In 2022, Pezeshkian demanded clarification from authorities about the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died in custody after she was arrested for allegedly violating a law restricting women’s attire. Her death sparked months of unrest across the country.

Pezeshkian’s views offer a contrast to those of former hardline President Ebrahim Raisi — who died in a helicopter crash in May. He was a Khamenei protege who tightened the enforcement of a law curbing women’s attire and took a tough stance in the now-moribund negotiations with major powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.

In 2018, then US President Donald Trump ditched the pact and reimposed sanctions on Iran. His move prompted Tehran to progressively violate the agreement’s nuclear limits.

A man who knows his limitations

Pezeshkian is a man who is aware of his limitations and perhaps knows that he will have to play a balancing game. Khamenei and his allies are much more powerful than the president in Iran.

At a Tehran University meeting last month, responding to a question about students imprisoned on charges linked to the 2022-23 unrest, Pezeshkian said, “Political prisoners are not within my scope, and if I want to do something, I have no authority.”

Appeal to people

After the win, Pezeshkian wrote on X, which is still banned in Iran: “Dear people of Iran, the elections are over and this is just the beginning of our cooperation. The path ahead will not be smooth except with your companionship, empathy and trust. I extend my hand to you and I swear on my honour that I will not leave you alone on this path. Do not leave me alone [translated].”

Pezeshkian has vowed to revive the flagging economy, beset by mismanagement, state corruption and US sanctions. In a video message to voters, Pezeshkian said: “If I try but fail to fulfil my campaign promises, I would say goodbye to political work and not continue. There is no point in wasting our life and not being able to serve our dear people.”

A delicate moment

Pezeshkian’s win comes at a delicate moment, with tensions high in Western Asia over the Israel-Hamas war, Iran’s advancing nuclear programme, and a looming election in the United States that could put any chance of a detente between Tehran and Washington at risk.

Pezeshkian’s victory also was not a rout of Jalili, meaning he’ll have to carefully navigate Iran’s internal politics, as the doctor has never held a sensitive, high-level security post. The turnout at the elections was historically low for Iran, whose officials have long pointed to turnout as a sign of support for the country’s Shiite theocracy.

The late President Raisi was seen as a protégé of Khamenei and a potential successor as supreme leader. Many knew him for his involvement in the mass executions that Iran conducted in 1988, and for his role in the bloody crackdowns on dissent that followed protests over the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman detained by police over “improperly” wearing the hijab.

(With inputs from agencies)