Iran's Khamenei formally grants Pezeshkian presidential powers

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave Sunday his official endorsement of reformist Masoud Pezeshkian as the Islamic republic's ninth president, following snap elections that had concluded earlier this month.

In a message read by the director of Khamenei's office, he said: "I endorse the vote (for) the wise, honest, popular and scholarly Mr Pezeshkian, and I am appointing him as the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran".

The new president is due to be sworn in before parliament on Tuesday.

The endorsement ceremony was held in the capital Tehran in the presence of senior Iranian officials and foreign diplomats, and broadcast on state TV.

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

The 69-year-old reformist secured more than 16 million votes, or about 54 percent of the roughly 30 million ballots cast.

Turnout in the runoff election stood at 49.8 percent, up from a record low of about 40 percent in the first round, according to Iran's electoral authority.

Jalili attended Sunday's ceremony, as did former moderate president Hassan Rouhani who had backed Pezeshkian's presidential bid along with Iran's main reformist coalition.

Pezeshkian was the only candidate representing Iran's reformist camp allowed to stand in the election, for which all contenders were approved by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council.

Iran's president is not head of state, and the ultimate authority rests with the supreme leader -- a post held by Khamenei for the last 35 years.

Following Khamenei's official endorsement, Pezeshkian thanked the leader and the Iranian people, vowing to carry the ...