TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei officially endorses Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi as the eighth president of Iran.

The Endorsement (in Persian: Tanfiz) Ceremony for the head of the thirteenth government of Iran was held on Tuesday morning with the participation of almost all high-ranking Iranian officials from the three branches of government. 

The ceremony started with a recitation of Quranic verses, and then, Interior Minister Abulreza Rahmani-Fazli gave a concise report on the arrangements his ministry has done concerning the June elections which handed Ayatollah Raisi a landslide victory. After Rahmani-Fazli, Raisi received the Leader’s endorsement and became president of Iran.

The new president took to the podium to elaborate on his plans for the future of the country. He addressed a variety of issues ranging from justice to combating corruption. 

Then the Leader delivered his Endorsement speech in which he praised Raisi’s revolutionary line. “Fortunately, in the statements of the President, Mr. Raisi, in the election campaign, the basic values of the revolution were repeatedly emphasized,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. 

Referring to President Raisi’s statements and his frequent insistence on revolutionary values such as justice and fighting corruption, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution stated that this insistence is being made on the right path and he advised the president to continue this path, according to a readout of the Leader’s remarks published on the khamenei.ir. 

The Leader described Raisi’s slogan as being a popular one and asked him to not abandon it. He also advised him to be with the people, to stand by the people’s side in the true sense of the word, and to always speak with them with sincerity.

Pointing to the slogans of Raisi’s election campaign, the Leader said, “This is the right path. Our strong recommendation is to continue on this path.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said clinging to the basic values of the Islamic Revolution will achieve the basic rights of the nation and put the country in its basic position. “These values are not delusional. They are evidently articulated in the statements of Imam [Khomeini]. They must be used [by the Raisi administration] as a criterion and must be pursued.” the Leader noted, according to Fars News.

In addition to Raisi’s valorization of the Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei shed light on the circumstances under which the latest elections were held. The enemies’ plot to encourage people to boycott the elections and their staging of propaganda warfare to undermine the presidential race stood out as two important points of the Leader’s speech among other issues.

On the plot to discourage the people to vote, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “A plot had been devised by the political think tanks of the enemies to bring about a boycott on the elections. Inside the country too, some people pursued this idea out of ignorance or perhaps with some ulterior motives. But the people responded firmly by participating in the elections, and the turnout was good. Considering the circumstances that existed at that time, participation was good and it showed the people’s presence on the scene.”

On the enemies’ propaganda war against Iran, the Leader noted, “Today, most of the enemy’s moves against Iran are carried out using soft warfare and media. They spend a great deal in order to dominate public opinion in our country. They hire many intellectuals in order to be able to dominate and control public opinion in countries, especially in our country. When public opinion in a country is controlled by foreigners, the affairs of that country will be shaped according to their whims. Therefore, we must be stronger and wiser in the field of publicity.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also stressed the smooth transition of power in Iran while having governments with varying political persuasions. 

“In other countries, this transfer of power is normally carried out accompanied by conflicts. But in our country, praise God, it is carried out in a calm, safe manner,” he said, adding, “This was the case in this election too by God’s grace. This is both a sign of the rationality, peace and tranquility that exists among the people and the officials and a sign of political diversity. The administrations that have held office up until today have had various political orientations. Naturally, this diversity is a sign of electoral freedom and healthy elections.”

He described the transfer of power in the country as being a place of hope and stressed, “In a transfer of power, new ideas and new resolve enter the field, and this is a source of hope for all those who are highly motivated to serve the country, in particular the youth.”