Masoud Pezeshkian[a] (born 29 September 1954) is an Iranian politician who is the ninth and currentpresident of Iran since 2024. A member of thereformist faction, he is the oldest person to serve in this position, taking office at the age of 69.
Pezeshkian was born inMahabad, West Azerbaijan, on 29 September 1954[3] toIranian Azerbaijani parents.[4][5] Pezeshkian considers himself and his parents to beTurks.[4][6][7] In 1973, he received hisdiploma and moved toZabol to serve his conscription duty. It was during this time that he became interested inmedicine. After completing his service, he returned to his home province, where he enteredTabriz University of Medical Sciences and graduated with a degree in medicine.
During theIran–Iraq War (1980–1988), Pezeshkian frequently visited the front lines, where he was responsible for sending medical teams and working as a fighter and doctor. He finished hisgeneral practitioner course in 1985, and started teachingphysiology at the medical college.
In 1997, Pezeshkian's political career began when he joinedMohammad Khatami's administration as Deputy Health Minister. He was the Iranian health minister from 2001 to 2005.[9][10] Then he was elected to theIranian parliament in five terms, from 2008 to 2024, representingTabriz, Osku and Azarshahr.[11][12][13] He served as the first deputy speaker of the parliament from 2016 to 2020. He advocated thatTurkic (Turk Dili) language education should be free in Iran.[14] In 2016, he was elected as the head of theFraction of Turkic regions in theIranian parliament, which was established to support the right to education inTurkic, the first group in history of Iran to be established with an ethnic name in the Iranian parliament.[15][16][17]
On 6 July 2024, Pezeshkian was electedPresident after winning the 5 July run-off of the2024 presidential election with 16.3 million votes (53.7%) toSaeed Jalili's 13.5 million (44.3%).[18] He was formally appointed as the president by the supreme leader of IranAli Khamenei on 28 July 2024,[19][20][21][22][23] and was sworn in before the Iranian parliament on 30 July.[24]
Following Iran's threats to attack Israel for theassassination of Ismail Haniyeh in July 2024, Pezeshkian reportedly urged Khamenei to reconsider, warning of severe consequences to Iran's economy and infrastructure if an attack was carried out.[35] According toThe Telegraph, Pezeshkian clashed with theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who pushed for a direct strike on Israel, while he advocated for targeting Israeli bases in neighboring countries in order to avoid a full-scale war.[36] Pezeshkian stated that Iran had a right to retaliate against Israel for the attack.[37]
The names of the 19 ministers nominated as part of Pezeshkian's cabinet were announced on 11 August 2024.[38] Soon after the announcement, Zarif announced his resignation in protest against the composition of the cabinet.[39] On 21 August, the parliament approved the entire cabinet, the first time it had done so since 2001. The cabinet consisted of ministers who were selected by Pezeshkian to appease all thecamps of Iranian politics, includingFarzaneh Sadegh, the second woman to become a minister of Iran after the 1979Iranian Revolution, andAbbas Araghchi, who helped negotiate the 2015nuclear deal agreement.[40]
Pezeshkian's first international visit as President was to Iraq in September 2024. The trip came amidst worsening relations between Iran and the United States, both of whom are allies of Iraq, due toan escalation in back-and-forth attacks between the US and pro-Iranian militias during theGaza war.[41] He also met with leaders ofIraqi Kurdistan inErbil.[42]
After theexplosions of pagers carried byHezbollah members in Lebanon in September 2024 which came amidstheightened tensions between Iran and Israel, Pezeshkian stated that Iran was willing to ease hostilities in return for Israel doing the same.[43] Iran however launchedmissiles against Israel in October 2024 following assassinations of Iranian commanderAbbas Nilforoushan along withHezbollah leaders includingHassan Nasrallah, and theIsraeli invasion ofsouthern Lebanon. Pezeshkian stated that the missile strikes were a response to Israel's aggression and warned it against getting involved in a conflict with Iran.[44]
TheFars news agency and U.S. intelligence sources confirmed[47] that Israeli forces attempted to assassinate Pezeshkian on 16 June.[48][49][50][51] In the opening hours of the war, Israeli air and ground forces assassinated some of Iran's prominent military leaders, nuclear scientists,[52] and politicians.[53][54][55] The assassination attempt included a strike on a building where Pezeshkian was having a meeting with other top Iranian officials. The strike used six missiles or bombs to target the building's entrances and exits to block escape routes and disrupt air circulation.[56] Despite a power cut to the targeted floor, Iranian officials, including Pezeshkian, managed to escape through a pre-planned emergency exit.[53][56][57] According to reports, Pezeshkian was lightly injured while escaping the assassination attempt, suffering a minor leg injury.[53][58]
Pezeshkian is a supporter of theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and has called its current incarnation "different from the past".[59] He condemned the declaration of the IRGC as a terrorist organization by theTrump administration in 2019.[60] After the2019 Iranian shoot-down of an American drone, Pezeshkian called the American government "terrorist" and described the IRGC's action to target the drone as "a strong punch to the mouths of the leaders of criminal America".[61] In June 2024 during a university meeting and in response to some criticisms, Pezeshkian put on an IRGC uniform, and said that he would wear it again as the IRGC is the "reason for the country remaining unified".[62]
Anti-government protests
Pezeshkian has criticized the Iranian system multiple times. During the2009 post-election protests, in a speech, Pezeshkian criticized the way the protesters were treated. In his speech, he mentioned the words of the first Shiite Imam [Ali] addressed toMalik Ashtar not to treat people "like a wild animal".[63]
Pezeshkian considered Iran's method of managing the2018 protests as "scientifically and intellectually wrong". He blamed the country's system for all the events and said: "We should have done better."[64] After the2022 protests, Pezeshkian demanded the creation of an assessment and clarification team regarding thedeath ofMahsa Amini. Although he considered the way of dealing with the protesters and their trial to be contrary to the constitution and demanded that the defendants should get lawyers, he later issued a statement, condemned the protests and did not consider it to be in the people's interest.[65]
Pezeshkian also defended theIranian missile program, stating that it was necessary for the country's defense from Israel, and demanded that the latter be disarmed first for negotiations with the United States and its allies over the issue.[70]
Ethnic views and women affairs
Pezeshkian emphasizes the rights of ethnic groups such asAzeris,Kurds, andBaluchis and states that the rights of these groups should be protected. He supports the implementation of Article 15 of the Iranian Constitution for all ethnicities. This principle says: "The official and common language and script of the people of Iran is Persian. Documents, correspondence, official texts and textbooks must be in this language and script, but the use of local and ethnic languages in the press and mass media and the teaching of their literature in schools is free, along with the Persian language." He argues that the implementation of this principle mitigates separatist and dissident motivations.[71] Pezeshkian also supports teaching of theAzerbaijani language in Iranian schools.[22]
Pezeshkian significantly increased the number of women and people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds in his government, as he had promised during the election campaign. He appointed two women as Vice Presidents, one woman as a minister, and another woman as the government's spokesperson. Additionally, he appointed aSunni politician as Vice President of Rural Development, the first everSunni governor of state, and several vice ministers.[72][73][74] Numerous women have been appointed as state and city governors across the country.[75]
Personal life
Pezeshkian's wife was agynecologist.[76] In 1994, she died along with their youngest son in a car crash.[77] He raised his remaining two sons and daughter alone and has never remarried.[78] His daughter, Zahra, has amaster's degree inchemistry fromSharif University of Technology, and was working at Jam Petrochemical before theRouhani government came to power. She is also regarded as a political adviser.
^"مسعود پزشکیان کیست؟" [Who is Masoud Pezeshkian?].Entekhab (in Persian). 21 May 2024.Archived from the original on 18 June 2024. Retrieved28 June 2024.
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