Iran’s new president reaches out to Iraq, Russia, builds ties with BRICS

Iran’s President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian is working the phone lines in Tehran, speaking with Iranian partners and allies to introduce himself and shore up Iran’s foreign ties.

He is doing outreach to Russia and Iraq, and he is receiving congratulations on his new position from these countries, as well as Pakistan, and groups such as Hamas. His first steps in this regard will be watched closely.

In one of the first phone calls with a foreign leader, he spoke to Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid. In Iraq, the president is more of a ceremonial figure than an executive. However, protocol necessitates that the Iranian president speak to his counterpart, rather than the prime minister, who holds the power.

According to Iranian state media, the new Iranian leader “underlined that the extent of political, economic, cultural, and religious ties between Iran and Iraq needs no explanation and expressed hope that these relations would be deepened and developed in the new period with the cooperation of the high officials of the two countries.”

Ties between Iraq and Iran

The Iraqi president stressed the importance of the ties between the countries. Once adversaries in the 1980s, Iran now has deep ties in Iraq. Iran even controls part of Iraq through Iranian-backed militias that operate in Iraq. The militias frequently target Israel and US forces. As such, Iran destabilizes Iraq, while also working with Iraq. The Iraqi leadership speaks of “friendly and brotherly countries,” but Iran is the much bigger brother in this relationship.

Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif also spoke to Pezeshkian. The Pakistani leader stressed Pakistan’s readiness to expand all-out relations with Iran. In this phone call, there was more talk of “brotherly nations,” as with the Iraqis. “Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a telephone conversation with Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, president-elect of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to extend his heartiest felicitations to him on his victory in the recently held presidential elections,” the Pakistani leader said. They discussed ways to enhance cooperation, particularly in trade, commerce and investment, reports said.

Iranian state media also reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin called Pezeshkian to congratulate him on his election. Pezeshkian wants to strengthen ties with Moscow. The call came as Indian leader Narendra Modi was in Russia meeting Putin.

“We attach great importance to relations with our friendly and neighboring country Russia, and we will undoubtedly strengthen these relations,” the new Iranian president told Putin. Putin invited Pezeshkian to attend the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, IRNA reported.

“Pezeshkian underscored the two countries’ cooperation within international and regional organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS, and the Eurasian Economic Union,” the report noted. Iran has sought closer ties with the SCO and BRICS to become closer to Russia and China and re-orient its policy towards the East in recent years.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who resides in Doha, also congratulated the Iranian president-elect in a message, though he did not speak with the Iranian president. “The Hamas chief noted that the Palestinian people ‘are confident in your capabilities to serve Iran, overcome all challenges and difficulties, and take steps towards the unity of the Islamic ummah [nation] against its enemy, as well as to assist the Palestinian cause as the main issue of the Islamic world,’” Iran’s IRNA reported.