Fidan attends Iranian president's inauguration ceremony

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Tuesday attended the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

Pezeshkian won a runoff race against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili on July 5 to replace president Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in May.

In Tehran, Fidan also met his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov, and Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government President Nechirvan Barzani.

Tuesday's ceremony came two days after Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei officially endorsed Pezeshkian and gave the 69-year-old heart surgeon presidential powers.

"I as the president, in front of the Holy Koran and the people of Iran, swear to almighty God to be the guardian of the official religion and the Islamic Republic system and the constitution of the country," Pezeshkian said at the ceremony which was broadcast live on state TV.

Pezeshkian, who is expected to unveil his government within two weeks, had secured more than 16 million votes during the runoff, or about 54 percent of the roughly 30 million ballots cast.

Iran's presidential election took place against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions since the Gaza war began in early October, disputes with Western powers over Iran's nuclear programme and domestic discontent over the state of the sanctions-hit economy.

Tuesday's ceremony was attended by senior officials from several countries includingTürkiye,  Armenia, Tajikistan, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Cuba and Brazil.

European Union envoy Enrique Mora was also present.

Regional Iran-backed allies were also in attendance, namely Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the head of the Islamic Jihad Ziyad al-Nakhalah.