Pezeshkian, Newest President of Iran From 2024 And His Part In Present War

 Nadene Goldfoot                                              

Masoud Pezeshkian (born 29 September 1954)  71 years old,  is an Iranian politician who is the ninth and current president of Iran since 2024.Masoud Pezeshkian officially became the president of Iran on July 28, 2024, when he received the formal endorsement from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was then sworn in before the parliament on July 30, 2024. A member of the reformist faction, he is the oldest person to serve in this position, taking office at the age of 69.  He had been a cardiac surgeon, so he should be pretty sharp.  Masoud had been a doctor for Iranian soldiers in the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988).  After taking office as president, he stated that Iran would continue to support the Palestinians in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.   Pezeshkian accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.                 

Iran's current Supreme Leader, the highest religious and political authority, is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has held the position since 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.  Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei (born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. His tenure as supreme leader, spanning 36 years, makes him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East and the longest-serving Iranian leader since Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.  He will be 87 years old on April 19, 2026.  

Since the Ayatollah holds so much more power than the president, how does he get along with him?  Pezeshkian is a teacher of the Quran, and a reciter of the Nahj al-balagha, a key text for Shia Muslims,    

Pezeshkian began his presidency by continuing support for the Axis of Resistance in the Iran–Israel proxy conflict. He presided over the October 2024 Iranian strikes on Israel in response to Israel's assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Iranian military officer Abbas Nilforoushan. 

Pezeshkian hoped to revive the agreement with the United States regarding Iran's nuclear program, in exchange for lifting the international sanctions against it.

Iran has launched several direct attacks on Israel involving missiles and drones, primarily in April and October 2024, and the June 2025 Iran-Israel War. 

• Date: April 13–14, 2024
• Details: This was Iran's first direct attack on Israeli territory in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus.
  • Munitions: Iran launched a large combined assault of approximately 170 drones (including Shahed-136 and jet-propelled Shahed-238 loitering munitions), over 30 cruise missiles, and more than 120 ballistic missiles from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.
  • Outcome: The majority (99%) of the incoming threats were intercepted by a coalition of forces including Israel, the U.S., UK, and Jordan, causing only minor damage to the Nevatim Airbase and injuring one Israeli civilian. 
  • Pezeshkian was sworn in as President July 30, 2024
  • Date: October 1, 2024
  • Details: The second direct attack, launched in retaliation for Israel's assassinations of the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in the preceding months.
    • Munitions: Iran fired about 200 ballistic missiles (including Fattah-1 and Kheibar Shekan types) at targets in Israel in at least two waves.
    • Outcome: Most were intercepted, but some hit targets like the Nevatim and Tel Nof airbases, a school, and areas near intelligence headquarters, causing two fatalities (a Palestinian man and an Israeli man who had a heart attack) and several injuries. 

The Iran–Israel war (13 June – 24 June 2025), also known as the Twelve-Day War, was an armed conflict in the Middle East.

Following Israel's major offensive into Iran on June 13, 2025, a series of intense, daily Iranian missile and drone attacks on Israel began as part of a short, high-intensity war. 

• June 13, 2025: Iran launched over 100 Shahed drones and around 150 ballistic missiles in two waves targeting military and intelligence sites in Tel Aviv and elsewhere. Some landed in residential areas, causing injuries and damage.
• June 14, 2025: Iran fired another 200 ballistic missiles overnight and another barrage later in the night. Some landed in residential areas of Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Rishon LeZion, killing two people and injuring over 60, as well as damaging oil facilities in Haifa.
• June 15, 2025: Iran and Houthi allies in Yemen fired missiles simultaneously, striking buildings in Bat Yam, Rehovot, and Tel Aviv, killing nine people and injuring about 200. Later barrages injured seven in Haifa.
• June 16, 2025: Iran launched another barrage that damaged a school and homes in Bnei Brak, Haifa, and Petah Tikva, killing eight civilians and injuring over 90.

Eight Israeli Air Force F-15I Ra'am strike fighter jets of 69 Squadron "Hammers" at Hatzerim Airbase high above Israel on their way to attack Iran in mid June 2025, probably June 16, 2025.  

• June 17–24, 2025: Numerous smaller-scale and multi-wave attacks continued daily until a ceasefire was announced on June 24, with hundreds more missiles and drones fired throughout this period. These attacks targeted various districts across Israel, resulting in additional casualties and damage. 
  
  

•  However, following the 2025 Israeli strikes on Iran that included an unsuccessful attempt on his life, Masoud presided over the Iranian retaliatory strikes, and tensions escalated into the Iran–Israel war from 12 days and evidently it hasn't stopped.   

  
  

  Resource:

  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/13/israeli-army-says-iran-has-launched-drones-at-israel#:~:text=Israel-Palestine%20conflict-,Iran%20launches%20hundreds%20of%20missiles%2C%20drones%20in%20first%20direct%20attack,in%20Syria%20two%2

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Israel_war#:~:text=This%20article%20is%20about%20a,a%20ceasefire%20under%20US%20pressure.

• AfAfter the explosions of pagers carried by Hezbollah members in Lebanon in September 2024 which came amidst heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, Pezeshkian stated that Iran was willing to ease hostilities in return for Israel doing the same.Abbas Nilforoushan along with Hezbollah leaders including Hassan Nasrallah, and the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon. Pezeshkian stated that the missile strikes were a response to Israel's aggression and warned it against getting involved in a conflict with Iran.
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