Iran: ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raïssi inducted into president

The new conservative president Ebrahim Raïssi was inducted on Tuesday August 3 by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

VIA REUTERS - WANA NEWS AGENCY

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The new conservative president Ebrahim Raïssi was inducted as president on Tuesday by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a ceremony in Tehran.

He will take office after an oath before Parliament on August 5.

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With our correspondent in Tehran

,

Siavosh Ghazi

The 60-year-old new conservative president won the June presidential election in the first round with nearly 62% of the vote, but also with a record abstention.

He therefore succeeds the moderate Hassan Rohani.

Since then,

protests

have been held regularly against the water shortage in southwest Iran and the economic crisis, recalls

our correspondent in Tehran,

Siavosh Ghazi

.

Ebrahim Raïssi's

priority

is to improve the economic situation by strengthening Iran's relations with its immediate neighbors as he said: “

 Until today, the maximum pressure against our country has not gave results.

The United States must revise its policy.

Our foreign policy will not be limited to the nuclear deal.

We will seek agreement with all the countries as a principle.

 "

Relaunch negotiations with the great powers

But he must also relaunch negotiations with the great powers for the lifting of American sanctions which could give a boost to the Iranian economy.

In return, Iran will agree to limit its nuclear program.

Six rounds of negotiations have already been conducted in

Vienna

with the great powers, in particular indirectly with the United States, but these negotiations are for the moment suspended.

These sanctions, particularly oil and banking, are stifling the Iranian economy.

But we do not yet know what will be the position of the new president vis-à-vis the great powers.

Repression of opponents

Several opponents denounce the role of Ebrahim Raïssi, as prosecutor, in the torture and execution of political opponents in the 1980s. The human rights organization Amnesty International calls for the opening of an investigation aimed at him.

Described as a " 

terrorist group 

" by Tehran, the People's Mujahedin are wanted, but the repression targeted different political affiliations. As he rose through the legal system, Ebrahim Raïssi played a central role, says Amnesty International.

The human rights organization identified him as a member of the death commissions, which it said was responsible for the enforced disappearance or the execution without trial of thousands of dissidents in 1988. Now they must United Nations intervenes, judge Diana Eltahawy, deputy director of Amnesty in charge of the Middle East and North Africa. “ 

We call on the Human Rights Council to establish a mechanism that will gather and preserve evidence to enable future judicial investigations for crimes under international law 

,” explains Diana Eltahawy.

For the time being, no investigation is targeting Ebrahim Raïssi.

But these accusations complicate his movements.

Next week, a Swedish court will try another suspected member of these death commissions, arrested at Stockholm airport.

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• Iran

• Ebrahim Raisi