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In a sharp departure from his predecessor’s hardline stance, Iran’s reformist President Massoud Pezechkian has vowed to “normalize” economic ties with the international community by seeking the lifting of U.S. sanctions.
“I will not rest until these unjust sanctions are lifted,” Pezechkian said Tuesday after being sworn in by parliament. “We want to normalize our economic relations with the world.”
Pezeshkian won a surprise victory in the presidential runoff election in July by campaigning on a message that Iran’s economy might survive but could never thrive under sanctions.
His predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May, had taken the position that economic recovery was not dependent on the lifting of sanctions, which have imposed heavy economic burdens on ordinary Iranians in recent years.
The Raisi government engaged in negotiations with world powers, including indirect negotiations with the United States on nuclear and regional issues, but failed to make significant progress.
Pezechkian’s government has yet to reveal details of its new approach, but there is speculation in Iranian political circles that the regime wants to rejoin nuclear negotiations with world powers.
Analysts have suggested this could involve Iran offering compromises on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of U.S. sanctions.
In his speech, Pezechkian made clear that a top foreign policy priority was strengthening ties with neighbouring countries and said Russia was ready to “manage tensions” with Western countries, without mentioning the United States or any other nations.
“I ask the Western countries to understand [Iran’s] The new president said he would “accept reality and demonstrate mutual respect and equal treatment,” but stressed that he would “not succumb to intimidation, pressure or double standards,” referencing negotiations with Iran over the past two decades.
Western diplomats and Iran experts remain cautious about a possible policy shift, given a historical pattern of Iranian hardliners sabotaging reform efforts, such as those seen under presidents Mohammed Khatami and Hassan Rouhani.
But leading reformist politicians say this time is different: The Islamic regime’s push for pragmatic reforms to ease economic pressures has led to public disillusionment and a decline in political participation.
Recommendation
The choice of the next foreign minister could signal which direction Iran is heading in foreign policy. Analysts speculate that Abbas Araghchi, a veteran diplomat and senior nuclear negotiator during the talks that led to the 2015 nuclear deal, is the front-runner. Former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord in 2018 and imposed hundreds of tough sanctions on Iran.
During the election campaign, Pezeshkian criticized hardliners for failing to revive the nuclear deal and for taking costly measures to evade sanctions, such as selling oil at a steep discount, and said Iran should adopt international standards on money laundering to ease banking regulations.
Pezeshkian is not expected to challenge the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or powerful organizations such as the Revolutionary Guard over their regional policies or support for anti-Israel militias.
He spent much of his speech on Tuesday condemning Israel’s war on Gaza, but lawmakers repeatedly interrupted him, chanting “Death to Israel” and “Long live Palestine.”
