TEHRAN - Congratulatory messages continue to pouring in on Ebrahim Raisi’s victory in the June 18 presidential election in Iran.

On Monday and Tuesday, the messages of congratulations were received from the OPEC secretary general, Algerian, Turkmen, Kyrgyz, Afghan, North Korean, Vietnamese, Serbian presidents as well as some political figures.

OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo has written a letter to Raisi in which he has said the “best days lie ahead” for the oil cartel through the Iranian president-elect’s support and guidance. 

Iran is a key member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

In a series of tweets, the OPEC secretariat said, “#OPEC Secretary General, HE Mohammad Barkindo has congratulated HE Ebrahim Raisi, President-elect of IR Iran, following his victory in the country’s presidential elections.

“In a letter to HE Raisi, #OPEC SG #HEBarkindo stated: “In electing you, the great Iranian people have recognized your lifetime of patriotic service & dedication to the welfare of your country.

“We cherish IR Iran’s membership of our Organization and firmly believe that with your support, wisdom and guidance, our Organization’s best days lie ahead of it.”

Raisi won the June 18 presidential election with a landslide victory, defeating his three rivals with a wide margin.

From a total of 28,933,004 ballots, Raisi succeeded to win 17,926,345 votes. However, Mohsen Rezaei, Abdolnasser Hemmati, and Amir Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi won 3,412,712 votes, 2,427,201 votes, and 999,718 votes, respectively.

Algerian president congratulates Raisi

Late on Monday, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune sent a message congratulating Raisi for being elected as the president of Iran.

“Today, Abdelmadjid Tebboune congratulated Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi for his election as the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the Algerian presidential office said in a press release.

Afghan president telephones Raisi, wishes success for him

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani telephoned President-elect Raisi on Monday night congratulating him for his victory in the presidential election and wished success for him.

“Iran and Afghanistan are two neighbors and brothers and I wish that your election as the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran will lead to further development of ties and cooperation in different areas between the two countries,” Ghani said, the Afghan presidential office said.

For his part, Raisi thanked Ghani for his telephone call and said it is necessary to deepen cooperation between the two countries.

Serbian president says sure ties with Iran will be strengthened

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was the first European leader to extend his congratulations to Raisi and wish him success as Iran’s new president.

“The Republic of Serbia is still determined to cooperate with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Vucic said in a message. “I am confident that relations between the two countries will develop in line with their mutual interests.”

Vucic also appreciated Iran for adopting principled positions in defense of the territorial integrity of countries under the UN Charter, Press TV reported.

North Korean president says Iranians have trusted Raisi

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the country’s leader Kim Jong-un had felicitated Raisi in a note sent on June 20.

“On behalf of the government and people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, I extend my warm congratulations to you on your election as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Kim’s message read, Press TV reported.

“Your election as President is a manifestation of Iranian people’s deep trust in and high expectation for you,” it added. “I take this opportunity to express my conviction that the friendly and cooperative relations between our two countries would further expand and develop, and wish you success in your responsible work for firmly defending the national sovereignty and building a powerful Iran.”

Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, and Kyrgyz President have also sent separate messages congratulating Raisi for winning the presidential election in Iran.

Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, also telephoned Raisi congratulating him for being elected as new president of Iran.

President-elect Raisi also thanked Barzani for his greetings and expressed hope that with an activation of existing potentials the region would take steps toward better security and economic integration. 

Al-Abadi wishes closer Iraq-Iran ties in line with mutual interests

Former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi sent a congratulatory message to Raisi wishing that during his presidency relations between Iran and Iraq will move on the path of “serving the interests of the two countries” and help constructive approaches to the benefit of the region that would bring peace, security and welfare.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a news briefing that until Monday morning 48 presidents, parliament speakers and senior figures had extended congratulations to President-elect Raisi.

The presidents of China and Russia are among top world leaders that have sent messages congratulating presidential elections in Iran.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, also told a daily press briefing on Monday that “we’ve taken note of the announcement by the electoral authorities in Iran that Ebrahim Raisi is the winner of the elections of 18 June.  The secretary-general looks forward to the continued cooperation with the Iranian authorities on issues of mutual respect for the benefit of Iran and the people and of the region.  The usual process will be followed, I have no doubt.  But that’s usually closer to the time of inauguration, which, as far as I understand, is about six… at least six weeks from now.”