The tough Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi was sworn in in Parliament on Thursday (August 5), and the priestly ruler of the Islamic Republic of Iran is facing a growing domestic and international crisis.
On Tuesday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) supported his victory in the June election, when most famous competitors were banned from standing. The mid-level Shia Sending priests officially began his four-year term.
With Raisi assuming the presidency, all branches of Iran’s power will be controlled by anti-Western hardliners loyal to Khamenei.
In a ceremony broadcast live on national television, Raisi said: “In front of the holy Quran and the country, I swear to the Almighty God to defend the official religion of the country and the Islamic Republic and the national constitution.”
While serving as a judge, Raisy was sanctioned by the United States for accusations of human rights violations. He promised to take measures to lift broader sanctions that have cut Iran’s oil exports and kept them out of the international banking system.
“The Iranian people expect the new government to improve their lives… All illegal sanctions imposed by the United States on the Iranian nation must be lifted,” Raisi said after taking the oath of office, vowing to serve the country and improve relations with neighboring countries.
Iran has been negotiating with the six countries to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement, which was abandoned by then-U.S. President Donald Trump three years ago, who said the agreement was too weak for Tehran.
According to the agreement, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions, but Trump withdrew from the agreement and re-imposed sanctions that weakened Iran’s economy. Since then, Tehran has violated the restrictions imposed by the agreement on its nuclear activities.
Like Khamenei, Raisi also supports nuclear negotiations, but it is widely expected that he will take a tougher stance in the deadlocked negotiations. The top leaders have the final say in all national affairs, including nuclear policy.
Iranian and Western officials said that there are still major differences in the nuclear negotiations, and they have not announced when the final round of negotiations, which will end on June 20, will resume.
The United States urged Lacey to resume negotiations “as soon as possible,” saying that the diplomatic window will not remain open forever.
“We hope Iran will seize this opportunity,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
Political analysts say that as the economic misery becomes apparent, Iranians are becoming more and more angry, and evading US sanctions will become Lacey’s primary economic goal.
“The new government will work hard to improve the economy to solve national problems,” Raisi said.
Last week, an Israeli-managed oil tanker was attacked by a suspected drone off the coast of Oman, killing two crew members, and rising tensions between Iran and the West.
The United States, Israel and the United Kingdom blamed this incident on Iran. Tehran denied responsibility for this and warned that it would respond quickly to any threats to its security.
Iran also denied involvement in the hijacking incident in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday. Maritime security sources said they suspect that Iranian-backed forces were behind the attack on a Panamanian-flagged tanker. Washington said it believed the Iranians hijacked the ship, but could not confirm it.
Reisi was appointed to the judiciary by Khamenei in 2019, and a few months later was sanctioned by the United States for his role in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. Iran has never admitted to killing.
As a protégé of Khamenei, Raisi once said that the United States sanctioned him because of his work as a judge. Dissidents worry that his presidency may lead to more repression.
