RIYADH,6th July 2024 : Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian on his election as Iran’s president, state news agency SPA reported.
Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran’s runoff presidential election Saturday, besting hard-liner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country’s mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic.
Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker, received 16.3 million votes compared to Jalili’s 13.5 million in Friday’s election.
“We look forward to deepening the relations between our countries and peoples, and to cooperating to enhance regional and international security and peace,” said King Salman in the SPA statement.
The king conveyed his wishes of further progress and prosperity for the Iranian people.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman said, “I affirm my keenness on developing and deepening the relations that unite our countries and peoples and serve our mutual interests.”
Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark China-brokered deal to re-establish relations in March 2023.
Since then, officials from both sides continued talks to bolster ties.
The UAE also sent a cable of congratulations to the new president.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Pezeshkian on his victory and said he was counting on stronger ties with the Islamic Republic.
“I hope that your tenure as president will contribute to a reinforcement of constructive bilateral cooperation between our friendly peoples,” Putin said in a message to Pezeshkian.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also congratulated Pezeshkian for his win in the presidential runoff election.
“I am willing to work with the President to lead the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership towards deeper advancement,” state news agency Xinhua reported Xi as saying.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Pezeshkian for his win.
“Looking forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship for the benefit of our peoples and the region,” Modi wrote on social media platform X.
