Tehran newspaper criticizes Pezeshkian’s pro-East foreign policy

After two days of praise from government-controlled media in Tehran for President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian’s foreign policy statement, a major conservative newspaper on Sunday criticized his pro-East stance.

Pezeshkian set out his government’s foreign policy in an open letter to the world on Friday, praising the Eastern powers and attacking the West, only a day after NATO concluded its summit with unequivocal criticism of China, Russia and Iran.

The media in Tehran covered the statement in a very positive light, highlighting Pezeshkian’s message that the West should make concessions to Iran’s government. Even commentators who usually recommend a balanced foreign policy were either mostly silent or expressed their agreement with Pezeshkian.

However, on Sunday the conservative daily Jomhouri Eslami rebuked the new president for once again emphasizing the importance of close ties with Beijing and Moscow.

“The emphasis on relations with China and Russia and the extraordinary praise for the 25-year and 20-year long-term agreements with China and Russia, respectively, are weaknesses in Pezeshkian's statement,” the paper run by conservative cleric Masih Mohajeri said.

Although some in Iran and abroad have labeled Pezeshkian a “reformer” or “moderate,” he has so far adhered closely to the positions long espoused by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Over the weekend, he reinforced his image as a staunch religious figure by repeatedly attending Shiite Ashura mourning ceremonies in the capital, while his aides were working on the make-up of his cabinet.

The conservative newspaper argued that Pezeshkian must surely be aware the excessive strengthening of relations with Russia and China in recent years, have been weaknesses of the two previous Iranian governments and “have consistently faced criticism and objections from the media and experts.”

The article continued by stating that paying "excessive" tribute to Russia and China has led these two powers to take Iran for granted. This was evidenced by their siding with the United Arab Emirates in its territorial claims on three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf.

“Given this bitter reality, the strong emphasis on strengthening relations with these two countries cannot be accepted. What is acceptable is an emphasis on a balanced policy in international relations and establishing relationships with countries based on their loyalty to Iran's national interests,” the newspaper stated.

The US State Department announced after Pezeshkian’s victory that it does not consider it as a major factor to alter US policy. "The elections will not have a significant impact on our approach to Iran... Our concerns about Iran’s behavior are unchanged. At the same time, we remain committed to diplomacy when it advances American interests," a State Department spokesperson told Iran International.

White House spokesman John Kirby made a similar statement, saying the US is not ready to resume nuclear talks.

“They’re still supporting terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. They’re still supporting the Houthis as the Houthis attack ships in the Red Sea. They’re still attacking shipping as well. And they’re still supplying drones and drone technology and drone expertise to the Russians so that the Russians can continue to kill innocent Ukrainians like they did over the weekend,” Kirby told a press conference on July 8. “So no, no.”