Iranian religious leader Ali Khamenei has formally endorsed Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran’s new president on July 28 in a ceremony in north Tehran.

It was attended by state and military officials, religious school and university professors and chairmen, representatives of various guilds, a group of families of martyrs and foreign ambassadors.

During the event, Khamenei read the endorsement script, saying, "I, hereby, endorse the nation's vote for the intellectual, honest, popular and scholarly person, Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, appoint him to the presidency."

He later urged the new president to tap into the country's natural and human capacities toward the country's development.

Khamenei said, "No internal affair should be dependent on foreign issues", referring to nuclear talks for the removal of Western sanctions that Pezeshkian had campaigned on to secure a win.

He stressed that a priority in foreign relations is strengthening ties with countries that helped Iran in difficult times.

Pezeshkian vowed to "serve the nation with all his heart" and return honour and dignity to the country.

He said his government would move toward realising the objectives of the "development plan" set out by the leader and ratified by the parliament. He added that it could only be achieved by unity and cooperation among all parties and factions.

Based on the constitution, a president’s four-year tenure is initiated after the endorsement ceremony, which is held prior to the formal inauguration to be held on July 30 at 4:00 local time at the parliament.

Foreign officials at different levels, including heads of state, foreign ministers, heads of parliaments, and special envoys have also been invited to participate in the inauguration ceremony.

The European Union’s deputy foreign policy chief Enrique Mora, Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, a Russian delegation headed by Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Muradov, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and a high-ranking delegation from China will be among the participants.

After the inauguration, the president will have two weeks to introduce his cabinet to the parliament for a vote of confidence.

Pezeshkian has vowed to employ individuals from all political factions to restore unity in the Iranian government.

He said in his first interview with Khamenei.ir, the leader’s media, that the options are being reviewed to reach four or five individuals for each position.

“In the end, naturally, we will go to the leader for consultation to reach a final conclusion,” he said.