By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TEHRAN (Worthy News) – Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian has been elected as Iran’s new president, beating his hardline conservative rival Saeed Jalili, but it was unclear whether hardline policies toward minority Christians would change.
Despite his victory, Western concerns also remained about Iran’s policies toward Israel.
Election officials said Dr. Pezeshkian won the election after he secured 53.3 percent of the more than 30 million votes counted.
Jalili received 44.3 percent, according to official results.
The run-off came after no candidate secured a majority in the first round of the election on June 28. It saw a historically low voter turnout of 40 percent before improving somewhat on Friday when about 50 percent of voters bothered to cast their ballots.
The election was called after Iran’s previous president, Ebrahim Raisi, was killed in a helicopter crash in May, in which seven others also died.
Pezeshkian advocates moderate policies at home and limited engagement with the West despite only minimal exposure as a national political figure.
Yet the 69-year-old cardiac surgeon was the sole reformist approved to run after snap elections were called following the helicopter crash May helicopter.
MILLIONS OF VOTES
According to the country’s election headquarters, Dr. Pezeshkian netted 16.3 million votes, almost 3 million more than Jalili, his nearest rival, who trailed behind with about 13.5 million.
His victory over Iran’s conservatives comes at a critical time for the country as it faces heightened regional tensions over its support for groups deemed terrorist organizations targeting Israel and their allies.
Tehran also faces a standoff with the West over its nuclear program.
Concerns remained about whether minorities such as Christians, including converts from Islam, would receive more rights in the strict Islamic Republic.
Traditional Christian communities are only tolerated in Iran as long as they don’t worship openly or, read the Bible in Farsi, Iran’s language, or have any contact with Christians who have converted from Islam, Worthy News established.
“If you’re caught supporting converts, you may be sent to prison,” confirmed well-informed advocacy group Open Doors.
Conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal in Iran, with the government viewing conversion as an “attempt by the West to undermine Islam and the Islamic government of Iran.”
HOUSE CHURCH CRACKDOWN
Anyone discovered to be a house church member can be charged with “a crime against national security,” which can lead to long prison sentences. Additionally, “Anyone arrested or detained can be tortured and abused while in jail,” said Open Doors, a view shared by other rights groups.
“Christian converts who left Islam can lose their inheritance, unmarried Christians can be forced into marriage to a Muslim, and married believers may be forced to divorce or face losing their children,” Open Doors added.
Open Doors has ranked Iran 9th on its annual World Watch List of 50 countries where it says Christians face the most persecution for their faith.
It was unclear whether Dr. Pezeshkian would allow more freedom for Christian believers.
However, he has been critical of Iran’s notorious Islamic morality police and caused a stir after promising “unity and cohesion” and an end to Iran’s “isolation” from the world.
He has also called for “constructive negotiations” with Western powers over a renewal of the faltering 2015 nuclear deal in which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in return for an easing of Western sanctions.
His rival, Saeed Jalili, favored the status quo. The former nuclear negotiator enjoys strong support among Iran’s most religious communities, analysts said, though it was unclear whether his olive branch was extended to Christians and Israel.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing late Tuesday for high-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as Moscow and Beijing prepare to advance a joint statement promoting what they call a “multipolar” world order.
Despite the White House publicly urging the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to approve the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan housing bill, House lawmakers have put forth their own version of the bill that strips provisions reining in private equity.
President Donald Trump has given Iran only a “limited period of time” to present an acceptable peace proposal after calling off planned U.S. strikes, even as the Wall Street Journal reported that Tehran’s negotiating position remains largely unchanged from earlier failed talks.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei used a series of posts on X Tuesday to describe Tehran’s war with the United States and Israel in terms one counterterrorism analyst called “jihad — sacred religious war,” even as ordinary Iranians remain largely cut off from the internet since the war began.
Israeli leaders are preparing for the possibility that war with Iran could resume within days, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a second limited security cabinet meeting in 24 hours amid growing coordination with Washington.
Global oil inventories are being drained at an alarming pace as the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to disrupt energy markets, International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warned Monday.
The Israel Defense Forces has destroyed roughly 60% of Hezbollah terror infrastructure in Lebanese villages where Israeli forces are operating in southern Lebanon, a senior Northern Command officer told Walla on Monday.