Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has formally endorsed Hassan Rouhani as president.
This will pave the way for him to take office for a second term as the head of Iran’s 12th administration.
During a ceremony on Thursday, Ayatollah Khamenei gave his official approval for the president-elect by giving him a decree to assign him his duties.
Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammadi-Golpayegani, the head of Ayatollah Khamenei’s office, read out the decree issued by the Leader to the participants.
In May, Rouhani won re-election in a landslide after securing 57 percent of the votes.
Under Iran’s election law, the president-elect is required to gain the Leader’s official approval before being sworn in before the Parliament (Majlis).
This process, called Tanfiz (validation), the Leader affirms the outcome of the presidential election.
The Leader urged the new administration to focus its efforts on “establishing justice, siding with the poor and implementing the rules of pure Islam,” adding that authorities should also work to strengthen “national unity.”