Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on August 19 warned that internal divisions within the government and between the state and the public pose one of the greatest threats to national security and progress, reformist-leaning Entekhab reported.

Pezeshkian made the comments during a meeting with local representatives from three provinces. The meetings come as part of his plan to widen the representation of the government and allow reformists like former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif back into the fold after he quit the administration earlier in the week.

Rumours are circulating that Zarif will re-enter the cabinet as a special advisor following comments from Iran’s former ambassador to Azerbaijan.  

Speaking in meetings with parliamentary representatives from the Central, Gilan, and Mazandaran provinces, Pezeshkian stressed the importance of national unity.

"The 14th government has made creating consensus the basis of its work to overcome differences and synergize all the country's capacities and capabilities to solve problems," Pezeshkian said, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA).

The Iranian president called for appointing capable individuals regardless of political affiliations. He described it as transforming the country's administration in his bid to build the first bipartisan government in more than 30 years.

He urged members of parliament to assist the government in developing criteria for selecting and appointing expert, efficient, and reform-oriented executive managers.

Pezeshkian stressed the need to allocate the country's limited resources carefully and based on justice and territorial planning schemes.

He also promised to engage with the public transparently to maximise their participation in governance and increase overall transparency, something that has never been a priority of Iranian administrations in the past.

The president's comments come as Iran faces economic challenges from years of decline and US-based sanctions which have hampered economic growth.

Born on September 29, 1954, in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province, Pezeshkian completed his early education in his hometown before moving to Urmia and then doing his military service close to the border with Pakistan.

Pezeshkian is a medical doctor by training and was previously an active cardiac surgeon in Tabriz. He is of mixed Azerbaijani and Kurdish background, a common trait of the local area, and is a fluent speaker of the regional languages and Persian, the Iranian lingua franca.