Iran's New President Masoud Pezeshkian Could Shake Up Foreign Policy

Iran has a new president in Masoud Pezeshkian, The Washington Post reports, after the reformist candidate beat conservative hard-liner Saeed Jalili in a runoff election held Friday, July 5. Pezeshkian’s win marks the first time in two decades that a reformist candidate will lead the Islamic Republic, yet the 69-year-old was the only reformist approved to run in snap elections following the death of conservative Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19, 2024. According to Iran’s election headquarters, Pezeshkian clinched 16.3 million votes, nearly 3 million more votes than Jalili’s 13.5 million. Compared to Jalili’s higher profile as the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council and former nuclear negotiator, Pezeshkian is considered a relatively under-the-radar candidate.