Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has been sworn in as the ninth President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. But all has not gone well for the presidential inauguration in Tehran. Hamas leader and former Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, provisional leader of Gaza was assassinated while attending the inauguration ceremony. Hamas has accused Israel of orchestrating the attack.
Haniyeh’s assassination comes at a critical time. The Biden administration has been actively involved in efforts to broker a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington to discuss these issues. Israel has been intensifying its attacks in Gaza and southern Lebanon, leading up to Netanyahu’s visit to the U.S. Congress. Furthermore, ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the Middle East, a senior Hamas official urged the U.S. to pressure Israel to halt the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The assassination of Haniyeh still raises some important questions. If the Israelis were behind it, why have they not claimed responsibility? They have had no qualms about slaughtering thousands of Palestinians in Gaza. The Israelis certainly would have had motive to dispose of Haniyeh, since Hamas did massacre 695 of the Zionist regime’s citizens among the 1,139 people killed in the attacks on the 7 October 2023. However, Hamas is also holding 250 Israeli civilian hostages taken during the attacks. This was all in repatriation for the thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank being held under administrative detention. The assassination of Haniyeh opens a power vacuum for Hamas in Gaza. It depends on who will take the reins of power in Gaza given the fractured ruin the strip has become due to the incursions by the Israelis.
Meanwhile Pezeshkian’s Inauguration seems to have gone smoothly.
High-ranking guests from almost 80 countries will honor the inauguration ceremony of newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian with their presence on Tuesday, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the national security and foreign policy commission of the country’s parliament, said on Monday. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Russian delegation at the inauguration would be headed by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. “The presidential inauguration ceremony will be attended by 11 speakers of parliaments, four deputy speakers, six prime ministers, two presidents and a number of ministers from almost 80 countries. Such a level [of participation of high-ranking guests] for the inauguration ceremony deserves attention, since the presence is not mandatory and is based solely on respect,” Boroujerdi said, as quoted by the Mehr news agency.
Iran still enjoys good relations with the rest of the world despite being under United Nations imposed sanctions sponsored by the United States. It has good relations with Russia given the fact that it was among the new emerging economies asked to join BRICS + (Brazil, Russia, India and China plus additional nations). Both Russia and China have strong relations with the Islamic Republic and have long supported its ambitions to develop safe nuclear energy. This has been the case more or less. The delegation from Moscow is interesting as it demonstrates Iran’s support for the war the Kremlin is waging in Ukraine. The presence of so many politicians shows that Iran is still held in high esteem from across the world. Oddly absent is any serious presence by Saudi Arabia. The two bitter neighbours had a reconciliation last year, but have grown distant yet again.
Pezeshkian will be assuming the presidency following the tragic death of his predecessor the late Ebrahim Raisi. He has a herculean task ahead of him to put his country’s economy back on track. Although Pezeshkian’s inauguration has been marked by unfortunate events the confidence some feel to his presidency shows he is of to a good start.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
