Newly elected radical Iranian cleric Ebrahim Raisi, known as "the butcher of Tehran," was sworn in as the Islamic republic's new president on Thursday, heralding what would likely be an era of more extreme policies toward the West.
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Raisi, who is considered a radical figure with a history of brutal crackdowns on regime opponents, was elected in June and was endorsed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Tuesday. On Thursday he appeared before the nation's lawmakers to be inducted into office.
"In the presence of the holy Koran and before the nation, I swear to the omnipotent God to safeguard the official religion of the country and the Islamic Republic as well as the country's constitution," Raisi told parliament and foreign dignitaries in a ceremony broadcast live on state television on Thursday.
Raisi, who is under US sanctions over allegations of human rights abuses when he was a judge, has pledged to take steps to lift broader sanctions that have cut Iran's oil exports and shut it out of the international banking system.
"The Iranian people expect the new government to improve their livelihoods ... All illegal US sanctions against the Iranian nation must be lifted," Raisi said after being sworn in, vowing to serve the nation and improve ties with its neighbors.
During his inaugural address, Raisi said that Iran's new government "will be a government of national accord" and vowed to continue to fight for the "oppressed people in Palestine, Syria," referring to Iran's ongoing efforts to destabilize the region and aggression toward Israel.
Iran-backed forces have recently carried out several attacks on a number of ships, including an Israeli-operated one, in the Gulf of Oman, in what appears to be Tehran's effort to flex its muscles and show the Middle East who's boss. Iran has denied its involvement, but the US and other powers have said that a coordinated response was in the works.
Delegations from all over the world were at the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, during which the newly inducted president appeared before the parliament to get the official nod to head the government.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett expressed his disappointment at the EU for sending a high-ranking delegation to the ceremony.
"Raisi is the most extreme Iranian president of them all, and the competition is tough," he said. "One cannot talk about human rights and simultaneously honor a murderer, a hangman, who has eliminated hundreds of opponents of the regime."
Raisi's swearing-in comes at a pivotal time, with Tehran currently in indirect negotiations with the world powers to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. While both Iran and the United States say they want to reach a nuclear agreement, negotiations have recently stalled.
During his speech on Thursday, Raisi said he would back "any diplomatic plans" to lift sanctions, amid the ongoing international talks to revive the nuclear accord from 2015.
Among the most pressing issues facing the new president is the ongoing economic crisis, which has worsened in the wake of the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal and the reimposition of US sanctions, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic.
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