Raisi reasserts Iran's regional policy in swearing-in ceremony
The new head of state reiterated Iran's controversial regional policy, even as it has been at the very core of tensions between the Islamic Republic's hard-line establishment and the West.
Iran's new president, Ebrahim Raisi said the Islamic Republic's regional policy is "a source of security," in a message of defiance to the West, which has been worried about Iran's regional influence as a destabilizing factor.
Raisi made the comments during his inauguration ceremony in the Iranian parliament Aug. 5. According to Iranian media, the event was attended by representatives from over 70 countries, among them Afghan leader Ashraf Ghani and Iraqi President Barham Salih.
"We will stand by the oppressed, whether they are in Europe or the US, in Yemen, Syria or Palestine," Raisi said after taking his oath of office. Listening to those words were delegates from the Palestinian movements Hamas and the Islamic Jihad as well as Lebanon's Hezbollah, groups Iran backs and funds for what it calls legitimate causes. Much of the West, however, has branded those groups as terrorist entities.
While stressing the need for the removal of US sanctions, which have brought Iran's economy to its knees, Raisi did not present a clear road map on how his government will resume stalled talks with Washington over the revival of the Iran nuclear deal. Prospects of those talks have turned increasingly dim in recent weeks as negotiating team members who represented President Hassan Rouhani's moderate government are being replaced with less accommodating diplomats. Kayhan, the hard-line daily linked to the office of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, suggested in an editorial Aug. 5 that the Raisi administration will simply walk away from the nuclear deal if Washington refuses to give in to Iran's demands.
