Who Is Masoud Pezeshkian, The Heart Surgeon Who Won Iran's Presidency

Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s reformist president-elect has vowed to “extend my hand” to all Iranians, his first remarks since being declared winner of a runoff vote against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili.

“The difficult path ahead will not be smooth except with your companionship, empathy, and trust. I extend my hand to you and swear on my honour that I will not leave you alone on this path. Do not leave me alone.” Pezeshkian said in a post on X on Saturday.

The 69-year-old heart surgeon won the election with 16.3 million votes. The run-off on Friday followed a June 28 ballot with an historically low turnout, when more than 60 percent of Iranian voters abstained from the snap election for a successor to Ebrahim Raisi, following his death in a helicopter crash in May. 

A Heart Surgeon And Former Health Minister

Masoud Pezeshkian is a heart surgeon and was health minister from 2001-2005. During the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Pezeshkian, a combatant and physician, was tasked with the deployment of medical teams to the front lines.

Pezeshkian 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.

Pezeshkian managed to win with a constituency - whose core was believed to be the urban middle class and young - that had been widely disillusioned by years of security crackdowns that stifled any public dissent from Islamist orthodoxy.

The cardiac surgeon has pledged to promote a pragmatic foreign policy, ease tensions over now-stalled negotiations with major powers to revive a 2015 nuclear pact and improve prospects for social liberalisation and political pluralism.

Pezeshkian Promises Not To Challenge Supreme Leader's Policies

Under Iran's dual system of clerical and republican rule, the president cannot usher in any major policy shift on Iran's nuclear programme or support for militia groups across the Middle East, since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls all the shots on top state matters.

However, the president can influence the tone of Iran's policy and he will be closely involved in selecting the successor to Khamenei, now 85.

Pezeshkian is faithful to Iran's theocratic rule with no intention of confronting the powerful security hawks and clerical rulers. In TV debates and interviews, he has promised not to contest Khamenei's policies.

"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," Pezeshkian said in a video message to voters.

Iran's New President Pledges Economic Revival Amid US Sanctions

Pezeshkian has vowed to revive the flagging economy, beset by mismanagement, state corruption and U.S. sanctions.

As the powers of the elected president are circumscribed by those of Khamenei, many Iranians keen for political pluralism at home and an end to Iran's isolation abroad doubt the country's ruling theocracy would let Pezeshkian make major changes even if he tried.

As a lawmaker since 2008, Pezeshkian, an Azeri who supports the rights of fellow ethnic minorities, has 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 dress. Her death sparked months of unrest across the country.

"We will respect the hijab law, but there should never be any intrusive or inhumane behaviour toward women," Pezeshkian said after casting his vote in the first round.

(With inputs from Reuters)