Historic Moments in Iran’s Presidential Inaugurations

The inauguration ceremony of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, took place on Sunday in the Supreme Leader's office.

This marks the ninth such ceremony in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the sixth overseen by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Presidential inaugurations in Iran have often reflected the political climate of their times.

In the early 1980s, some ceremonies were affected by political turmoil, with some even facing potential cancellation.

The 2009 inauguration notably deviated from tradition when former presidents were absent.

The first presidential inauguration set a unique precedent.

Due to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's hospitalization, the ceremony for President Abolhassan Banisadr was held at Tehran Heart Hospital.

Both Khomeini and Banisadr delivered speeches, with Khomeini emphasizing unity and governmental support.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani noted that some proposed having the president take the oath of office in Khomeini's presence.

However, this was opposed as it conflicted with Article 121 of the constitution, which requires the oath to be taken in the parliament in the presence of the Supreme Court President and Guardian Council members.

An anecdote involves the Central Bank's attempt to print 150 Rial banknotes featuring the presidential inauguration.

This plan was halted when it was clarified that Khomeini had not approved it, as initially claimed.

Subsequent inaugurations have had their share of notable moments.

During Mohammad-Ali Rajai's ceremony, Khomeini gave a speech that has been widely shared on social media in recent years, particularly a segment featuring Hassan Rouhani's reaction.

Khamenei, who became president after the explosion of the prime minister's office and the assassination of Rajai, faced opposition from some officials regarding the inauguration ceremony due to ongoing rumors.

Despite this, the ceremony was held for political and propaganda reasons.

Hashemi Rafsanjani wrote that "due to security considerations, many were generally against holding such a meeting amidst the start of terrorism, but political and psychological considerations gave preference to forming the parliament."

Ruhollah Khomeini, referring to Rajai's assassination, wrote in Khamenei's inauguration order that America and the government's opponents intended to establish a "monarchy government or a people's democratic republic."

"But the general participation of the brave and committed nation in the elections, along with the armed forces' successive victories in the South and West and the continuous national presence, thwarted these plans.

"This, coupled with the suppression of internal and external enemies, led to the collapse of their imaginary palaces."

Khamenei's second term as president was marked by tensions with the so-called left movement in the parliament.

After the election, he said he had not intended to run for office, but Ruhollah Khomeini had given him the assignment.

Shortly after this inauguration ceremony, disputes over the prime ministership of Mir Hossein Mousavi resurfaced.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's inauguration ceremony was held after Khomeini's death, with Ahmad, the son of the founder of the Islamic Republic, reading the order of inauguration.

Rafsanjani, pointing to Khomeini's empty seat, mentioned that when he was preparing to run for the presidency, he never imagined not receiving his inauguration from Khomeini.

The second round of Rafsanjani's inauguration ceremony highlighted the gap between him and Khamenei, despite their apparent closeness.

Rafsanjani wrote about the ceremony: "We went to the leadership office to participate in the presidential inauguration ceremony. Previously, other heads of government were sent to the meeting, and when the meeting was ready, Ayatollah Khamenei and I entered."

Despite this closeness, the inauguration order showed Khamenei's request to change the direction of the government.

Khamenei wrote: "Economic growth must serve social justice, and the Islamic system is anti-discrimination."

Following his unexpected electoral victory, the inauguration of Mohammed Khatami garnered more attention than previous ceremonies.

During the event, Khamenei said that "despite the calculated efforts of the enemies, who wanted to use various tricks to empty the nation of work and politics and to distance it from its revolutionary and divine system, the election scene was full of enthusiasm and consciousness with the nation's blessed presence. They chose."

Khatami's second term began with him winning more votes than in his first term, amid events such as the attack on Tehran University.

In the ceremony, Khamenei spoke about the enemy's attempt to promote "falsehood" and "questioning the revolution," adding that "some oblivious people inside also repeated the same adversary of the enemy."

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's act of kissing Ali Khamenei's hand marked the first period of his administration.

However, the most controversial ceremony occurred in 2009, when former presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami did not attend.

Rafsanjani recounted: "Sir [Khamenei] told me that you should give my order to Ahmadinejad. I said that I don't accept his election, and you know it too.

"I don't consider him the president and I'm not ready to confirm it. He said 'If you don't give it, who will? And cannot ask Mr. Khatami, who should I tell.' I said, "You know yourself."

Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghadam, a member of the Expediency Council, said that officials traveled north from Khamenei's office by helicopter to bring Hashemi to the ceremony, but he went to another location instead.

It was customary for the outgoing president to read the order.

However, this absence led to Khamenei's chief of office reading the inauguration order Hassan Rouhani's in 2013, despite the former president being present.

The election that year occurred after the 2009 protests and the Ninth Parliament elections boycott by supporters of the Green Movement.

Despite Hashemi Rafsanjani's disqualification, some supporters of this movement participated in the election.

During his inauguration ceremony, Hassan Rouhani said that "the elections, although they started with doubts and suspicions from society, ended with the approval and acceptance of the general public."

Rouhani's speech included a statement interpreted as his first sarcasm directed at Khamenei, although he claimed it was about himself.

He said: "God, I seek refuge in you from the tyranny of vote, hasty decision-making, prioritizing personal and group interests over public interests, and shutting the mouths of rivals and critics."

In the 2017 ceremony, Rouhani addressed his performance over the previous four years, which had been severely criticized by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Ebrahim Raisi during the debates.

Although the ceremony itself was not very high-profile, criticism arose afterwards because Rouhani did not mention Hashemi Rafsanjani, who played a key role in his victory, in the swearing-in ceremony.

This was the first inauguration ceremony after Hashemi Rafsanjani's death.

During this period, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was notably angry, and his presence at the ceremony made news.

Initially, he was seen next to Raisi in television pictures, but later he sat next to Hassan Khomeini.

Ebrahim Raisi's inauguration ceremony took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he expressed regret that it was not possible to kiss Khamenei's hand due to the situation.