On Thursday evening, Iran’s new president Ebrahim Raisi was sworn in at a ceremony held in Parliament as the country is going through challenging times both at home and abroad. With Raisi’s presidency, the anti-Western bloc in the country can be said to have taken control of all branches of power in Iran.
In the oath ceremony, which was also broadcasted by state television, Raisi said, “In the presence of the holy Koran and before the nation, I swear to the omnipotent God to safeguard the official religion of the country and the Islamic Republic as well as the country’s constitution.”
On Tuesday, the new term under Raisi officially started when Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved his presidency. In the presidential election, in which most of the prominent rivals were prevented from running by the Guardian Council, the hardline judiciary chief won %62 of the votes.
High-ranking officials from various countries, including Oman, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Bosnia-Herzegovina participated in the oath ceremony.
Being under US sanctions over claims of human rights abuses committed by him when he was a judge, Raisi stated that he would spend efforts to halt sanctions, which barrier Iranian oil exports and keep Iran out of the international banking system.
While Raisi said, “The Iranian people expect the new government to improve their livelihoods… All illegal US sanctions against the Iranian nation must be lifted,” he pledged himself to serve the nation and promote relations with its neighbors during his speech following the oath ceremony.
Negotiations with P5+1 countries to revive the 2015 nuclear deal were stalled after the June 18 presidential election. The last round of negotiations was completed on June 20, and it is unclear when the talks will resume. The US side warned Raisi to restart the talks in a short time, by saying that this progress will not go on indefinitely.
Like Supreme Leader, Raisi previously stated that he also supported the nuclear talks. However, he is expected to assume a tougher attitude in the talks.
