He repeatedly criticized the US and praised the Guard for shooting down an American drone in 2019, saying it “delivered a strong punch in the mouth of the Americans and proved to them that our country will not surrender.” In 2011, Pezeshkian registered to run for president, but withdrew his candidacy. In 2021, he found himself and other prominent candidates barred from running by authorities, allowing an easy win for Raisi. In this campaign, Pezeshkian’s advocates have sought to contrast him against the “Taliban” policies of Jalili. His campaign slogan is “For Iran,” a possible play on the popular song by the Grammy Awarding-winning Iranian singer-songwriter Shervin Hajipour called “Baraye,” or “For” in English. Hajipour has been sentenced to more than three years in prison over his anthem for the Amini protests.Yet Pezeshkian acknowledged the challenge ahead of him, particularly after the low turnout of the first round of voting. “With all the noisy arguments between me and him, only 40% [of eligible voters] voted,” Pezeshkian said during his final televised debate with Jalili on Tuesday. “Sixty percent don’t accept us. So people have issues with us.”
