Ebrahim Raisi, a cleric with hardline views towards the US and the West, on Thursday (August 5, local time) was officially sworn in as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
New Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks at the National Assembly on August 5. (Video screenshot)
Ebrahim Raisi, a Shi’ite cleric, won Iran’s presidential election in June. In this election, most of Mr. Raisi’s most prominent opponents were barred from running. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday officially endorsed Ebrahim Raisi’s victory.
With the presidency belonging to Ebrahim Raisi, all branches of power in the Iranian state will now be in the hands of those with hardliners against the West and loyal to Khamenei.
“In front of the Holy Koran and before the nation, I swear an oath to the Almighty Almighty,” Raisi said during a swearing-in ceremony in parliament broadcast live on state television on Thursday. that I will defend the country’s official religion and the Islamic Republic, as well as the national constitution.”
Mr Raisi pledged to take steps to lift sweeping sanctions imposed by the US and the West on Iran, including banning Tehran from exporting oil and participating in the international banking system.
“The people of Iran hope the new government will improve their livelihoods… All illegal US sanctions against the country of Iran must be lifted,” Raisi said after taking the oath of office. He also pledged to serve the country and improve relations with neighboring countries.
Mr. Raisi is a close confidant of Khamenei and has been appointed by Iran’s supreme leader to lead the judiciary since 2019.
Just months after leading Iran’s judiciary, Mr. Raisi was sanctioned by the United States for his role in the 1988 purges of thousands of Iranian political prisoners.
Dissidents in Iran now fear that as president, Mr. Raisi will crack down on human rights even more strongly.
