Global leaders congratulate Iran's Pezeshkian on presidential victory

With the announcement of Masoud Pezeshkian as the winner of the July 5th Iranian presidential runoff vote, leaders from around the world have extended their congratulations.

The presidents of China, Russia, Syria, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Iraq, as well as the prime ministers of India and Pakistan, the foreign minister of Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia’s king and crown prince were among the officials who congratulated the Iranian president-elect on his victory.

Saudi Arabia has called for bolstering ties following Pezeshkian's election. The kingdom's king and crown prince congratulated Pezeshkian through the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Saturday. "I affirm my keenness on developing and deepening the relations between our countries and people and serve our mutual interests," SPA quoted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as saying.

According to Chinese state media Xinhua, Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Pezeshkian and expressed his willingness to advance the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership. "I am willing to work with the President to lead the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership towards deeper advancement," Xi stated, as reported by Xinhua.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also extended his congratulations, with the Kremlin releasing a statement on Saturday. "I hope that your activities as president will contribute to further building up constructive bilateral cooperation in all areas for the benefit of our friendly peoples, in the interests of simplifying regional security and stability," Putin said.

Syrian President Bashar Assad sent a congratulatory message, emphasizing the goal of strengthening strategic relations and exploring new avenues for bilateral cooperation between Syria and Iran.

Indian President Narendra Modi congratulated Pezeshkian, expressing his anticipation of working closely to enhance "the warm and long-standing" bilateral relationship. “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 stated.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari also congratulated Pezeshkian.

“As neighboring countries, Pakistan & Iran enjoy a close & historic relationship. We must ensure a bright future for our two peoples through mutually beneficial cooperation,” Sharif wrote on X on Saturday.

In a post on X, Zardari reiterated that “Pakistan & Iran enjoy fraternal ties” and expressed hope that under Pezeshkian’s leadership, the relations between the two countries would grow.

In a statement on Saturday, the Venezuelan government extended congratulations to Pezeshkian.

“President-elect Pezeshkian and the Iranian nation enjoy the unwavering support of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whose goal is to deepen fraternal relations between the two nations through a comprehensive strategic alliance, fostering mutually beneficial cooperation and contributing to multiple global consolidations.”