Former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani identified the election of reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian as an opportunity to resume negotiations with the West on the country's nuclear program, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
Pezeshkian won Iran's presidential election after defeating his ultra-conservative rival in Friday's runoff. Iran's electoral body reported that Pezeshkian, a former health minister, received 53.7% of the votes cast.
Newspaper "Sharh" quoted Rouhani, who served as president from 2013 to 2021 and is widely regarded as a centrist, as calling Pezeshkian's victory "a popular referendum in favor of productive relations with the world community".
Like many politicians in the reformist camp, Pezeshkian has called for improved relations with the West to boost Iran's flagging economy.
Iran has been suffering from an economic crisis since the US imposed new sanctions on the country in 2018 after President Donald Trump's administration pulled out of a landmark nuclear deal.
According to observers, the resumption of nuclear negotiations to prevent the development of nuclear weapons by Tehran is the only political option to achieve the lifting of sanctions and improve the situation.
But in view of the complex political situation and powerful lobbies in Iran, it is not clear to what extent Pezeshkian can achieve significant change, DPA notes.