Foreign policy of the Masoud Pezeshkian administration

The administration of Masoud Pezeshkian has influenced the foreign policy of Iran from his pre-election intent to changes on the ground, including the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Israel–Hamas war, Israel–Hezbollah conflict and the Operation True Promise II within his first 100 days. Pezeshkian's foreign policy is led by his foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.

Background

Following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash while returning from Baku, a snap election was called in accordance with the constitution of Iran. Masoud Pezeshkian was then elected as president. During the debates, he was a more moderate candidate that wanted rapprochement with the West and the removal of sanctions.

On the day of his swearing in, Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated and, after a few weeks, Iran launched Operation True Promise II that was widely regarded as a major step in attacking Israel and shown Iran's capacity to do so.

Debates

During the pre-election debates, Pezeshkian supported former president Hassan Rouhani's foreign policy in regards to the initial signing of the JCPOA (since revoked by then U.S. president Donald Trump) and to expand Iranian trade relations with the rest of the world. He mentioned former supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini and current supreme leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei policy of: "Neither East Nor West."

Our main problem in the country is this division. When a government is in power, FATF is opposed, but when the next government takes over, it supports it. If we want to grow in the world, the more connections we make, the better we can live. The skill of the ministry of foreign affairs or foreign policy should have flexibility and various alternatives for negotiations and trade. Do you know how much we are losing right now because of FATF and JCPOA? We are losing several thousand billion daily. Some people are profiting from sanctions. We will move forward in foreign policy based on the general policies (proposed by Leader of the Islamic Revolution) of dignity, wisdom, and expediency."

He was regarded as a moderate candidate by the West for change and an improvement in Iran–United States relations and the broader West. He signalled an intent to resurrect the nuclear deal with the P5+1 countries.

First visit

Following his swearing in a president of Iran, Pezeshkian made his first foreign trip to neighboring Iraq in line with his initially stated goals of alleviating sanctions and taking a more moderate course than some of his more hardline predecessors. He also visited a monument to former IRGC General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in an attack by the USA. He also became the first Iranian president to visit the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan.

Other visits

During the opening session of the UNGA, Pezeshkian visite New York City to speak to fellow member states. In early October, he also visited the Interrelation of Times and Civilizations – Basis of Peace and Development forum in Turkmenistan. Amongst meetings, it was also his first interaction with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Discussions with other leaders

In regards to Armenia, Iran is one of two states with accessible borders, Pezeshkian declared a special level of relations with the northern neighbor. His foreign minister Abbas Araghchi re-iterated continued support for Armenian "territorial integrity," particularly in light of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War and threats of building the potential Zangezur corridor (following his predecessor's opening of a consulate in Syunik Province shortly thereafter).

BRICS 2024

For the 16th BRICS summit from 22-24 October 2024, Pezeshkian visited Kazan, Russia for the first summit since Iran became a full member of BRICS+. For his part, Pezeshkian sought other members attention in regards to the wars in Gaza and Lebanon involving Israel. As an economic body, he emphasized cohesion on economic-financial issues.

He also held bilateral meetings, including with the host, Russian president Vladimir Putin, who pledged a future bilateral pact, He further discussed closer relationships with Armenia.

Israeli strikes on Iran

Further information: October 2024 Israeli strikes on Iran

On 1 October, Israel attacked Iran for the first time. While Iran played down the strikes, Pezeshkian made statements indicating Iran has the right to self-defence and left open the possibility of a counter strike. Araghchi said that the U.S.A. was responsible and called for UNSC meeting in this regard to condemn Israel. He also added that Iran had "received indications" of the attack hours before it happened.

Analysis

The think tank Rasanah, suggested that Pezeshkian's foreign policy initiatives include the prioritization of regional relations, including Arab League–Iran relations (especially Iran-Saudi Arabia relations), dialogue with the West, support for the Axis of Resistance to Israel and relations with leading states of the Global South, such as Russia and China.

Moon of Alabama suggested that Pezeshkian's foreign policy changed following Israel's assassination of both Haniyeh (as a guest for his inauguration) as well as the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah.

See also

• Foreign policy of Iran