Iran reformist Pezeshkian wins presidential election

ISLAMABAD (PEN) : Masoud Pezeshkian has won Iran’s presidential runoff against Saeed Jalili, with Pezeshkian securing over 16 million votes compared to Jalili’s more than 13 million. Voter turnout was 49.8 percent, with over 600,000 ballots spoiled. Pezeshkian, a reformist candidate, thanked his supporters and pledged to extend friendship to all Iranians for the country’s progress. The election followed low turnout in the first round and comes amid tensions over Gaza, Iran’s nuclear program, and economic challenges due to sanctions.