The final results of the Iranian presidential election are out, and the United States and the West are very happy.
On July 6, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency, in the 14th presidential election of Iran, reformist candidate Massoud Pezeshizisyan won.
To be honest, it is a bit surprising that Iran's former health minister, who was not favored in the early days, was able to "win the crown". However, in the first round of voting, Petzeshiziyan led by a wide margin with 42.5 percent of the vote (the hard-line conservative Jalili came in second with 38.6 percent), and it is not surprising that he won in the second round.
With regard to Pezeshizizyan's own political stance, he advocates easing his attitude toward the West, holding that the sanctions imposed by the West have seriously damaged Iran's economy, and that relations with the United States and the West should be improved, and the lifting of Western sanctions against Iran should be given top priority. Therefore, the United States and the West consider it to be a "pro-Western" reformer.
In addition, after his victory on July 6, Pezeshiziyan pledged to engage more with the West. He said, I didn't make false promises to you, I didn't say things that I couldn't do later, I didn't lie.
So, will Pezegchicyan's victory allow the United States and the West to "sit back and relax" about the situation in the Middle East?
It is worth noting that after Pezeshzicyan's victory, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sent a congratulatory letter to him as soon as possible. In addition to congratulations, Khamenei has a message full of meaning. He stressed that all people should think about the progress of the country and should also turn the competitive behavior in elections into friendship. And expect him to continue the line of former President Raisi.
Raisi is known to be an important politician in Iran. During his tenure, he implemented a series of internal reform measures, including relaxing network policies and developing small and micro enterprises; Externally, Iran has successfully completed a strategic shift from military, economic and diplomatic, including but not limited to a series of major events, such as Iran's formal accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS. Another example is the restoration and strengthening of diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and other countries. He even asked Britain for funds that had been illegally seized by the British during the Islamic Revolution, and so on.
It can be said that Raisi has contributed a lot to Iran. It is important for a country to maintain policy continuity. Khamenei used Raisi to "inspire" Pezehiqiyang here, which also means that he hopes that Pezesiqiyang can promote a foreign policy that continues the Raisi era and, more importantly, safeguard national interests.
With the appointment of Pezeshizizyan, will the relationship between Iran and China change much in the future?
Not much will change in the short term, at least. Although in international relations, Petzeshiziyan advocates engagement with the West, the development of friendly relations with China is the consensus of the Iranian top leaders headed by Khamenei. Before the election, Khamenei condemned those who wanted to improve relations with the West, after which Pezeshkian also publicly said that he would rely on Khamenei on foreign policy issues.
Khamenei occupies a key position in Iran's political system, and even if Pezeshizijan wants to do something, as long as Khamenei does not support it, he will still face great difficulties. In other words, in the early days of Pezeshiziyan's tenure, it is likely that a "balanced" foreign policy will be pursued.
Of course, it is undeniable that Pezeshizian has brought a layer of instability to Sino-Iranian relations, and China must prepare in advance.