The reformist and 'moderate' Masoud Pezeshkian has been elected as Iran's new president, defeating his hardline conservative rival Saeed Jalili, after gaining 53.3% of the 30+ million votes counted.

While Jalili was seen as the status quo candidate, by and large expected to continue his predecessor's policies, Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and member of the Iranian parliament, has vowed to seek an end to the Islamic Republic's global isolation.

Iran has a new president in Masoud Pezeshkian, The Washington Post reports, after the reformist candidate beat conservative hard-liner Saeed Jalili in a runoff election held Friday, July 5. Pezeshkian’s win marks the first time in two decades that a reformist candidate will lead the Islamic Republic, yet the 69-year-old was the only reformist approved to run in snap elections following the death of conservative Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19, 2024.

A relatively moderate member of the Iranian parliament, Masoud Pezeshkian, has been declared the next president of Iran after beating his hardline conservative rival by a decisive margin in Friday’s run-off presidential elections.

The 69-year-old will replace Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month.

Dr Pezeshkian’s mostly young supporters took to the streets of the capital, Tehran, and other cities to celebrate - even before the final results were declared, singing, dancing and waving his campaign's signature green flags.