Progressive signals in Iran: Five things on President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian’s reformist agenda

Pezeshkian, the son of an Iranian Azerbaijani father and an Iranian Kurdish mother, is a cardiac surgeon who has served with distinction in both the medical and political spheres. He won Iran’s July 5 run-off election as the candidate for change against the conservative establishment.

Here’s what is on the moderate President elect’s table, and the formidable challenges that lie ahead.

US sanctions and relations with the West

Iran has been under US economic and military sanctions since 1979, the year Ayatollah Khomeini’s Revolution overthrew the regime of the pro-West Shah and established the Islamic Republic.

The sanctions, which were tightened and expanded over the years in response to the Iranian nuclear program and its support for militant organisations such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, had a crippling impact on the country’s economy by cutting off access to markets, finance, and international dealings.

In 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), popularly known as the “Iran nuclear deal”, with the P5+1 (the US, the UK, Russia, France, China and Germany) and the European Union, which led to a significant lifting of sanctions in return for a cap on Iran’s nuclear program.

The Donald Trump administration, however, pulled the US out of the deal, which led to Iran resuming nuclear enrichment, and a restoration of sanctions. Critical sectors of the economy such as oil exports, banking, and manufacturing were severely hit, and led to widespread economic hardship. Iran reacted with defiance and a pledge to run a “resistance economy”.

Pezeshkian has pledged to seek negotiations to lift the sanctions. He believes that resolving the issue of sanctions is essential for Iran’s economic growth and development, and has committed to working with international organisations like the Eurasian Economic Union and BRICS to explore ways forward.

Iran’s nuclear program

Related to the lifting of sanctions is the issue of Iran’s nuclear program. In the face of opposition from the conservative establishment, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that reports to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Majles (Parliament) Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf, Pezeshkian has expressed his commitment to restoring the 2015 JCPOA nuclear agreement.

He has said his goal is to ensure Iran’s nuclear activities remain peaceful through transparency and cooperation, and to rebuild trust with the international community. Currently, Iran is enriching uranium up to 60%, significantly exceeding the 3.67% limit established by the JCPOA, and has amassed a considerable stockpile of enriched uranium.

This has increased international concerns, with the IAEA reporting limited access to monitor Iran’s activities since early 2021. While efforts to revive the JCPOA remain at a standstill, both sides have expressed a willingness to pursue de-escalatory measures.

Economic reforms and inflation

Iran has been seeing high rates of inflation and unemployment, the outcome of a moribund economy crippled by sanctions and worsened by years of mismanagement. Pezeshkian aims to win economic benefits through the lifting of sanctions, which would reopen foreign investment flows.

To safeguard the Iranian people’s savings from being corroded by inflation, Pezeshkian intends to establish special accounts for households, linked to the price of gold. He also has plans to target government corruption and wastage, which he hopes will improve the living standards of essential workers such as teachers and police officers.

Women’s rights and social policies

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police in September 2022 after allegedly being punished for not wearing her headscarf in the approved manner, triggered sustained and massive protests across the country and in Iranian diaspora communities. While the street protests were ultimately crushed, there is deep resentment among large sections of younger Iranians especially at the curbs on freedom, including dress codes and restrictions on involvement in social activities.

Pezeshkian has adopted a forward-thinking position on women’s rights, especially in his critique of the mandatory hijab laws. He has contended that these laws have not been effective, and emphasised on the importance of gender equality. He has argued that his perspective derives from the fact that Islam views men and women as equal, and has championed policy reforms that align with this belief.

Rights of Kurds and other minorities

Mahsa Amini was Kurdish, a historically dispossessed ethnic minority that does not have a homeland, with large populations in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The Iranian Kurds live in the country’s north-west, in areas bordering Turkey and Iraq, and suffer from significant economic disabilities and cultural persecution. Large numbers of Kurdish men work as kolbars, or porters in treacherous and risky terrain.

As a leader with Kurdish roots, Pezeshkian has committed himself to improving the economic situation in the remote border areas, including the places where many Kurds live. In general, Pezeshkian stands for protecting the cultural and linguistic rights of Iranian minority groups, and has pushed for the integration of the Kurdish language into the country’s educational system.

(Saima Mehta is an intern with The Indian Express)