Iranians elect Reformist Massoud Pezeshkian as their President

Beating his hardline conservative rival Saeed Jalili, Reformist Massoud Pezeshkian has been elected as Iran’s new president.

The election was called after Iran’s previous president Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in May, in which seven others also died.

Even before the final results were declared by Iran’s interior ministry, Dr. Pezeshkian’s supporters had taken to the streets in Tehran and a number of other cities to celebrate.

Dr. Pezeshkian, a 71-year-old heart surgeon and member of the Iranian parliament, is critical of Iran’s notorious morality police and caused a stir after promising “unity and cohesion”, as well as an end to Iran’s “isolation” from the world.

He has also called for “constructive negotiations” with Western powers over a renewal of the faltering 2015 nuclear deal in which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in return for an easing of Western sanctions.

His rival, Saeed Jalili, favours the status quo. The former nuclear negotiator enjoys strong support amongst Iran’s most religious communities. Mr Jalili is known for his hardline anti-Western stance and opposition to restoring the nuclear deal, which he says crossed Iran’s “red lines”.

Turnout in the latest round of voting was 50% – higher than the first round last week, when the turnout was the lowest since the Islamic revolution in 1979 amid widespread discontent, but still considerably low.

Widespread discontent meant that millions of people boycotted the elections.

Lack of choice in the candidates, dominated by Islamic hard liners, and the impossibility of real change as long as the supreme leader tightly controls policies added to their frustration.

Some people who did not vote in the first round were persuaded to cast their ballot for Dr. Pezeshkian this time round to prevent Mr. Jalili from becoming the president.

They feared that if he won, Iran would be heading for more confrontation with the outside world and that he would bring Iran more sanctions and further isolation.

Dr. Pezeshkian’s presidency promises a shift towards more pragmatic and reformist policies that will surely be tested in a hardline theocratic rule led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Dr. Pezeshkian is someone world powers are likely to welcome, hoping he might pursue peaceful ways out of a tense standoff with Iran over its fast-advancing nuclear programme, according to analysts. He defeated hardline former negotiator Saeed Jalili, who is considered close to Khamenei and advocates closer relations with China and Russia.

While Pezeshkian’s policies are cast in doubt due to the Supreme Leader’s final say on all crucial state matters, he can set the tone for the foreign and domestic policy of the country. Therefore, it remains to be seen how his presidency can impact India’s relations with Iran.

India-Iran relations

India and Iran enjoy decades of strong economic relations. Iran is one of India’s key sources of crude oil amid the backdrop of Western sanctions. India’s growing energy consumption deepens its economic cooperation with Iran due to the latter’s vast hydrocarbon reserves. India’s bilateral trade has also increased to $2.33 billion in 2022-23, making it one of the biggest trading partners in the Middle East.

A key factor of India’s cooperation with Iran is also the Chabahar Port, which is an important transit point with Afghanistan and Central Asia and where New Delhi has invested heavily. In May, India and Iran signed a long-term contract for operating the Shahid-Beheshti Port Terminal to enhance regional connectivity and facilitate trade, particularly between India, Iran and Afghanistan.

This is a significant achievement for India as it is the first time it will oversee the management of an overseas port to provide a strategic connectivity link to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the larger Eurasian space. India has pledged to invest $120 million in equipping the port. India has also offered an in-credit window equivalent to $250 million, for mutually identified projects aimed at improving Chabahar-related infrastructure.

Another platform for India-Iran cooperation is the multimodal International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) linking the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran and onward to northern Europe via St Petersburg in Russia. This will enable India to reduce to time taken for shipments to reach Russia and will further boost trade with central Asian markets.