Masoud Pezeshkian (Persian: مسعود پزشکیان; born 29 September 1954) is an Iranian cardiac surgeon and politician who is the 9th and current president of Iran since 2024.[2] In 2008, he was elected to the Islamic Consultative Assembly. He identifies as a reformist and a centrist, even though he is politically independent.[2]
As the only reformist in the 2024 election, Pezeshkian advanced to the run-off having won 40% in the first round. He would go on to defeat conservative principlist Saeed Jalili in the run-off. At the age of 69, Pezeshkian is the oldest person to become president of Iran.[3]
Before entering politics, Pezeshkian was a cardiac surgeon and was the Minister of Health and Medical Education from 2001 to 2005 during the Mohammad Khatami presidency.[4] He unsuccessfully ran for president twice in 2013 and 2021.
Early life
Pezeshkian was born in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan, on 29 September 1954[5] to an Iranian Azerbaijani father and Iranian Kurdish mother.[6]
During the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), Pezeshkian frequently visited the front lines, where he was responsible for sending medical teams and working as a fighter and doctor. After the war, he continued his education, graduating from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. In 1993, he graduated from Iran University of Medical Sciences. He later became a specialist in heart surgery, leading him to become president of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 1994.[7]
Political career
Pezeshkian was elected to the Parliament of Iran in 2008. Before, he was a heart surgeon.[8] He also was its First Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2020. He was Minister of Health and Medical Education between 2001 and 2005 in the Government of Mohammad Khatami.[9]
Pezeshkian was elected governor of Piranshahr and Naghadeh counties in West Azerbaijan province during the 1980s.[10]
Pezeshkian ran in the 2013 presidential election, but withdrew. He ran again in the 2021 election, but was rejected.[11]
Presidency
Pezeshkian ran for president again in 2024, this time his candidacy was approved. He won the 2024 presidential election in a runoff with 54.76% of the popular vote.[12][13] He is the oldest person to take the office of President of Iran at the age of 69 years.[3]
Pezeshkian was formally appointed as the President of Iran on 28 July 2024.[14] He was inaugurated as president on 30 July 2024.[15]
Personal life
Pezeshkian's wife was a gynecologist.[16] In 1993, she died along with their youngest son in a car crash.[17] He raised his remaining two sons and daughter alone and has never remarried.
Views
Pezeshkian has criticized the Iranian system multiple times. During the 2009 post-election protests, in a speech, Pezeshkian criticized the way the protesters were treated.[18]
Pezeshkian considered Iran's method of managing the 2018 protests as "scientifically and intellectually wrong". He blamed the country's system for all the events and said: "We should have done better."[19]
After the 2022 protests, Pezeshkian wanted to create a team to investigate the death of Mahsa Amini. Although he thought that the way of dealing with the protesters and their trial was against the country's constitution and said they should have lawyers, he later issued a statement, condemned the protests and did not consider it to be in the people's interest.[20]
Pezeshkian has supported restarting talks with the United States over the nuclear program of Iran and that he would want to restart the agreement it reached with the U.S. and other world powers in 2015, in exchange for lifting sanctions against Iran.[21]
He has supported building good relationships with all countries except for Israel.[22]
Pezeshkian supports the rights of ethnic groups such as Azeris, Kurds, and Baluchis and states that the rights of these groups should be protected.[23]
References
Other websites
Media related to Masoud Pezeshkian at Wikimedia Commons
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