Reformist Pezeshkian wins Iran election and vows to reach out to West and ease headscarf laws

Iran's President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian gestures during a gathering with his supporters on Saturday. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters

Jon Gambrell and  Amir Vahdat

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran’s run-off presidential election, beating hardliner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country’s mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic.

Mr Pezeshkian promised no radical changes to Iran’s Shiite theocracy in his campaign and long has held Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the final arbiter of all matters of state.