Reformist Masoud Piseshikyan will ascend to the Iranian presidency in a delicate moment for the Islamic

republic both on the world stage and within its borders.

He faces a government still largely controlled by hard- clerics, tension with the West over Iran's nuclear program, and domestic frustrations with the regime.

Ali Rogin has more.

To discuss what this means for Iran, the U.S. and other stakeholders, I'm

joined by Suzanne Maloney. She's the Vice President and Director of the

Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. Suzanne, thank you so much for being here.

Tell us a little bit more about Masoud Pezishyan.

What did he campaign on?

Masood Pasekyan is a 70-year-old,

long-time member of the parliament who served also as the health minister during the

second administration of President Mohammed Khatami, who was Iran's first reformist president.

He has kept a relatively low profile up until this campaign.

He did register in previous rounds of Iranian elections back in 2013.

And then again in 2021, when he was in fact in This time around it was a little bit of a surprise that he made it through in part because he wasn't terribly well known.

But of course all of the elements about this election were very improvisational because it came in the wake of the unexpected death of the prior president Ibrahim Raise.

And Pazevkian had fashioned himself a reformer.

What sort of campaign did he run?

What kind of message was he putting out there?

Well, Pasechkeon is a longtime member of the Reformist Party

that has largely fallen out of favor

due to the fact that President Khotemee,

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