Defeated hardline conservative rival
(ZEROHEDGE) – The reformist and 'moderate' Masoud Pezeshkian has been elected as Iran's new president, defeating his hardline conservative rival Saeed Jalili, after gaining 53.3% of the 30+ million votes counted.
While Jalili was seen as the status quo candidate, by and large expected to continue his predecessor's policies, Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and member of the Iranian parliament, has vowed to seek an end to the Islamic Republic's global isolation.
As part of this push, the 71-year old has called for "constructive negotiations" with the West on Iran's nuclear program, in hopes getting US-led sanctions removed or at least softened. Iran has on a monthly basis been expanding its Uranium enrichment and purity, bringing it closer to the ability to produce a nuclear weapon if it decides to do so. Israel has meanwhile threatened preemptive attack if this happens.
