Raisi sworn in as Iran’s new president

Tehran, Iran | Xinhua | Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was sworn in on Thursday and pledged his utmost for domestic economic development amid U.S. sanctions, as well as peace and friendship with regional states.

“I swear … to be the guardian of the official religion and the Islamic Republic establishment and the constitution of the country, and to use all my capacity and competencies to fulfill the responsibilities I have undertaken,” Raisi took the oath during his swearing-in ceremony.

In the ceremony, Raisi vowed to protect the borders and political, economic and cultural independence of Iran.

People want the new government to live up to its promises of spreading justice, fighting corruption and discrimination, he said, adding that people’s demand from their elected government is to protect human beings in the face of oppression, injustice and discrimination.

Raisi said that his government will try to improve the livelihood of people by removing the economic hardship, and to expand the national vitality and social enthusiasm.

The Iranian president dismissed the policy of pressure and sanctions, saying that the anti-Iran pressures will not cause the Iranian people to give up their legal rights.

He said that the recent election in Iran was a reaction to the hostility of Iran’s “enemies,” their economic sanctions and their psychological warfare against the establishment.

Iran supports and welcomes any diplomatic proposal for the lift of sanctions, he noted.

“We will use all the tools of national power, including diplomacy and smart interaction with the world, to secure the interests of the Islamic Republic,” said Raisi.

As for the foreign policy of the country, he stated that Iran will “stand by the oppressed,” adding that “constructive and extensive interaction with the whole world” would be on his agenda.

The most important and main priority of his foreign policy is to “improve relations with neighboring countries,” said Raisi.

“I extend my hand of friendship and brotherhood to all the countries of the region, particularly to the neighbors,” he said.

He said regional crises should be resolved through inter-regional dialogue and on the basis of ensuring the rights of nations, and foreign intervention in the region will only further the problems.

The president rejected concerns about the country’s nuclear program, calling it “peaceful.”

According to the decree by the Iranian supreme leader, Iran forbids nuclear weapons and this weapon has no place in Iran’s defense strategy, said Raisi.

According to the regulations, the president has two weeks after the inauguration ceremony to introduce the cabinet and the ministerial plan to the parliament for one-week evaluation.

Raisi was elected as Iran’s new president on June 18 and formally assumed office after the supreme leader’s decree on Tuesday and the swearing-in ceremony in the parliament on Thursday.

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Xinhua