Regional Leaders Congratulate Behdarvish; Putin Calls for Strengthening Relations with Iran

Leaders of neighboring and rival countries of Iran, from Russia and Azerbaijan to Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, congratulated Masoud Behdarvish on his election as President of Iran on Saturday, July 6. No Western leaders have yet issued messages or statements in response to the conclusion of the elections in Iran. Following the counting of the majority of ballots on Friday, the Iranian Ministry of Interior announced Masoud Behdarvish as the winner of the 14th presidential election. According to the Ministry of Interior, in the second round, Masoud Behdarvish secured 16,384,157 votes in competition with Saeed Jalili, the hardline conservative candidate, to claim the presidency of Iran for a four-year term. Vladimir Putin emphasized coordination between Tehran and Moscow in addressing "current international issues" in a congratulatory message on Saturday and called for strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. Following increased Western pressure on the Islamic Republic, Tehran and Moscow have grown closer in international relations since the onset of the Ukraine war. This comes as Western countries have sanctioned many entities and officials of the Islamic Republic due to Iran's military assistance to Russia, particularly in drone exports. Additionally, the President of China, in a message referring to the importance of developing bilateral relations between Tehran and Beijing, expressed his willingness to cooperate with the newly elected President of Iran for "deepening strategic cooperation" between the two countries. According to Xinhua News Agency, Xi Jinping stated that Iran and China, both facing "complex" regional and international situations, have "always supported each other" to strengthen mutual strategic trust. Ilham Aliyev, the President of Iran's northwestern neighbor, also congratulated the new Iranian President on Saturday and invited him to visit Baku for "discussions on the prospects for developing bilateral cooperation." Ibrahim Raisi, the former President of Iran, died in a helicopter crash while returning from the inauguration of the Qiz Qalasi dam, accompanied by Ilham Aliyev, his Azerbaijani counterpart. Masoud Behdarvish was declared the winner of the 14th presidential election in Iran. However, Iran and Azerbaijan have experienced tense relations in recent years due to Azerbaijan's proximity to Israel. Hanifi Wardak, Deputy of the Political Office of the Taliban in Qatar, also expressed hope on Saturday that the new Iranian government would succeed in "better managing its internal affairs." On the other hand, Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, sent a congratulatory message for Mr. Behdarvish's victory in the Iranian elections, stating: "We will work with you to strengthen strategic relations between Iran and Syria." The official Saudi news agency and Tasnim news agency also reported on Saturday that Salman bin Abdulaziz, the King, and Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, as well as Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, the President of Iraq, sent their congratulatory messages to Mr. Behdarvish. However, Aasif Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan, was one of the first regional leaders to congratulate the new President of Iran on Saturday, stating that the two countries "enjoy brotherly relations." Hassan Rouhani, the former President of Iran, also congratulated Masoud Behdarvish and Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, calling this election a "creation of a national movement for the revival of the republic" and a "vote of the people in a national referendum for constructive engagement with the world and the revival of the JCPOA." Elections in Iran are held far from global standards, and eligible voters are forced to choose only from candidates that the Guardian Council rigorously approves. Masoud Behdarvish entered the race this year and ultimately won, despite having been disqualified in the 2021 elections. According to the laws of the Islamic Republic, the presidential term in Iran is four years, which begins after the elections and the confirmation of the President's credentials by the leader of the Islamic Republic.