Iran's new prez Pezeshkian vows balance with all, warns US against pressure

Iran's newly elected president said his government will create "balance in relations with all countries in line with national interests and the prerequisites for peace but stressed to the United States that his country will not respond to pressure.

Masoud Pezeshkian penned My Message To The New World in the country's state-owned Tehran Times late Friday, praising the latest presidential election that demonstrated remarkable stability and vowing to uphold promises I made during my campaign. '

Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker, bested hard-liner former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to clinch July 5's runoff election to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May.

He said in his message his administration would prioritise strengthening relations with our neighbours and urged Arab countries to use all diplomatic leverages to push for a lasting cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that started October