Raisi speaks to multiple audiences at swearing-in

Iran’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi, offered some mixed messages to those looking for clues as to how he will conduct his foreign policy.

To those hoping for a hint of pragmatism, Raisi, speaking at his swearing-in ceremony at the Islamic Consultative Assembly (or parliament) Aug. 5, said the "crises of the region must be resolved through real intra-regional dialogue and on the basis of ensuring the rights of nations," adding, "I extend a hand of friendship and brotherhood to all countries in the region, especially neighbors, and I warmly shake their hands."

For those looking for signs of the hard-line revolutionary, Raisi lauded Iran’s model of "religious democracy" and committed his country to resisting "the extravagance of the arrogant and oppressive powers," including in Syria, Yemen and Palestine, adding, "The people want the Islamic Revolution to be realized in the true sense of the word, and all the features of the Islamic Revolution to be visible in the structures, processes and beliefs of the statesmen."