RIYADH: 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.
King Salman, in a message to Pezeshkian, expressed hope for the “continued development of relations which link our two countries and our two brotherly peoples,” according to SPA.
He also expressed his wish for further “coordination and dialogue to strengthen regional and international peace and security,” SPA said.
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.
Qatar, UAE and Kuwait also sent a cable of congratulations to the new president.
Syrian President Bashar Assad, for whom Tehran is a top ally, on Saturday congratulated Iran’s reformist president-elect, stressing his desire to strengthen ties with Tehran.
In a message published on the Syrian presidency’s social media accounts, Assad said: “We are keen to ensure that our relationship remains at its peak.”
He added that he wants to work with Pezeshkian “to strengthen the Syrian-Iranian strategic relationship” and that “resistance will remain the common approach we follow.”
In his message of congratulations, Russian President Vladimir Putin 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.
