Iran's new President urges Muslim unity, strengthens ties with Central Asia and Africa - analysis

Iran’s new president is hitting the ground running, reaching out to Muslim countries and Central Asian states, as he seeks to prepare his administration for what comes next for Iran. Under the previous Iranian President, who died in a helicopter crash, Iran shifted more to be focused on the East, basically pushing a policy that was oriented toward Russia, China, Central Asia, Pakistan, and India. Iran’s new president appears to want to do more of the same.

According to Iranian state media, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, is pushing to unify “Islamic nations in confronting the Zionists” amid the Gaza war. He also wants to have a foreign policy that will prioritize ties with Muslim countries. This is important messaging. Iran’s state media is today celebrating the swearing in of Pezeshkian.

Iran’s acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani has also spoke about the importance of “cultural” diplomacy, which dovetails with the Islamic outreach of the new president. It is not clear if Kani will stay on as the foreign minister, he continues to hold the position in an interim status after the previous foreign minister died in the same helicopter crash with the former president.

“If Islamic countries and Muslim nations had maintained their unity and cohesion as well as followed the advice and command of the Holy Prophet of Islam, the Zionist regime and its backers would never dare commit such crimes against the oppressed Palestinians,” Pezeshkian said in a meeting with the Deputy Secretary General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah Movement, Sheikh Naim Qassem.

The new Iranian leader also spoke about how Iran would continue its policies in support of Palestinian groups. According to Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), “Pezeshkian made remarks on Monday night during the meeting with Ziyad Nakhaleh, the Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement who has traveled to Iran to participate in the presidential inauguration ceremony.” The Iranian leader’s comments focused on the need to unify Muslim countries against Israel.

Pressuring Israel became a priority

In another development that is part of this agenda, Iran and The Gambia have renewed diplomatic ties. This is important for Iran’s inroads in West Africa. Iran has long had tentacles in West Africa and it seeks to increase this influence. In addition, Pezeshkian met on Tuesday with his Tajikistan counterpart Emomali Rahmon in Tehran. “Rahmon is in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday afternoon. The Tajikistani president and his accompanying delegation met with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei earlier in the day,” Iran’s IRNA noted.

While Iran has other interests besides confronting Israel, the Iranian leader and Iranian state media made it clear how much of a priority pressuring Israel has become. “While honoring the standing and firmness of Hezbollah fighters against the aggression and crimes of the Zionist regime, Pezeshkian called the support for the resistance front a religious obligation and one of the fundamental policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iranian state media IRNA said.

Hezbollah’s deputy leader also brought greetings from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah is busy in Lebanon moving forces around in expectation of an Israeli response to the murder of 12 children and teens in a rocket attack on July 27 on Majdal Shams. Hezbollah’s deputy “stated that Hezbollah considers itself the child of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution and will do its part to realize the valuable ideals of the revolution, and explained the achievements and actions of Hezbollah’s resistance in recent years,” IRNA noted. In addition, Hezbollah’s representative discussed the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000 and the Syrian civil war and praised Iran for its support of the Syrian regime and Hezbollah over the last decades.

According to similar reports from Iran, the new Iranian president is also seeking to expand ties with Russia. Russia wants to see Iran participate more in the economic block that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. BRICS has recently expanded to include more countries, such as Iran. This is important for Russia as a way to balance the West and create a multi-polar world. Russia’s president hopes to meet the new Iranian president at an upcoming BRICS summit in October.