President-elect's article in Tehran Times newspaper:

I ran for election within the framework of reforms, strengthening national unity and constructive interaction with the world / Israel is an apartheid regime / China and Russia were our friends during our difficult times and cooperation with them is a priority / We are ready to talk with Europe 

Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, the president-elect, wrote in the Tehran Times newspaper: I was elected within the framework of reforms, strengthening national unity and constructive interaction with the world, and won the trust of my compatriots, and I am committed to consensus, both domestically and internationally. I emphasize that my government will adhere to the preservation of Iran's national honor and international status under any circumstances. Iran's foreign policy is based on the principles of "honor, wisdom and expediency", which is the responsibility of the president and the government to formulate and implement this government policy. I will use all my powers to pursue this goal.

My government will pursue an opportunity-based policy by balancing relations with all countries based on national interests, economic development, and the requirements of regional and global peace and security. Accordingly, we welcome sincere efforts to de-escalate and will return good faith with good faith. Strengthening relations with neighbors is our priority. We support the creation of a "strong region", not one where one country seeks to dominate others. I strongly believe that neighboring and brotherly countries should not waste their valuable resources in attrition, arms races or containment of each other.

To cooperate with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and regional organizations to deepen economic relations, strengthen trade relations, promote investment, tackle common challenges and move towards establishing a regional framework for dialogue. We are eager to build trust and develop. Our region has been plagued by war, sectarian strife, terrorism and extremism, drug trafficking, water shortage, refugee crisis, environmental destruction and foreign interventions for a long time. The time has come to face these challenges for the benefit of future generations. Cooperation for regional development and prosperity is the guide of our foreign policy. Israel is still an apartheid regime that has added "genocide" to its dark record. As a first step, my government will request the cooperation of the neighboring Arab countries to prioritize the establishment of a ceasefire and stop the killing of the people of Gaza.

China and Russia have always been our friends and supporters in difficult times. We value this friendship very much. The 25-year road map of Iran and China was an important step towards creating a "comprehensive strategic partnership" beneficial for both countries, and we wish to establish wider cooperation with Beijing in this direction. Russia is a valuable strategic partner and neighbor of Iran, and my government is committed to expanding and strengthening our cooperation. My administration will prioritize bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Russia, especially in frameworks such as BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Eurasian Economic Union.

The cooperation between Iran and Latin American countries has far more potential than what is currently established, and we will continue to strengthen our ties. Despite the deviations in the agreements with America and Europe, I am ready to hold constructive talks with European countries in order to guide our relations on the right path based on the principle of equality and mutual respect. America must also have come to the understanding that Iran has never responded to coercion and will never respond. We entered the JCPOA in 2015 with good intentions and fully fulfilled all our commitments. But the United States – due to quarrels and vendettas related to its domestic policy sphere – illegally withdrew from the agreement. And by imposing unilateral extraterritorial sanctions, it caused countless losses, sufferings and damages to the people of Iran, especially during the corona pandemic, and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage to our economy.

The United States deliberately chose to do so by launching an economic war against Iran, as well as by engaging in state terrorism through the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani—a world-renowned anti-terror hero known for his successes in saving the region from ISIS and similar barbaric groups. Intensify conflicts. Today, the world is witnessing the harmful consequences of this decision. The United States of America and its Western allies not only missed a historic opportunity to reduce and manage tensions in the region and the world, but also seriously undermined the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Because they showed that the costs of adhering to the principles of non-proliferation can be greater than its possible benefits. Indeed, the United States and its Western allies have exploited the non-proliferation regime to - contrary to the estimates of their own intelligence agencies - create a manufactured crisis over Iran's peaceful nuclear program and use it to apply continued pressure on our people. At the same time, they actively and unhesitatingly supported Israel - an aggressive apartheid regime that is not a member of the NPT treaty and, according to all the evidence, has nuclear weapons.

I want to emphasize once again that Iran's defense doctrine does not include building nuclear weapons, and I call on the United States to learn from its past miscalculations and adopt a new policy accordingly. The decision-makers in Washington must realize that a policy based on pitting the countries of the region against each other has not been successful in the past and will not be successful in the future. They should accept the truth of Iran and avoid aggravating existing tensions.

The people of Iran have given me a strong mandate to seriously pursue constructive engagement in the international arena while insisting on our rights, dignity and rightful role in the region and the world. I invite all those who wish to join this historic effort to cooperate.