Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has officially endorsed reformist Masoud Pezeshkian as the Islamic Republic's ninth president following snap elections earlier this month.

"I endorse the vote for the wise, honest, popular, and scholarly Mr. Pezeshkian, and I am appointing him as the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Khamenei declared through a message read by the director of his office.

The endorsement ceremony, held in Tehran, was attended by senior Iranian officials and foreign diplomats, and broadcast on state TV. Pezeshkian is scheduled to be sworn in before parliament on Tuesday.

Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old reformist, emerged victorious in a runoff election on July 5, defeating ultraconservative Saeed Jalili. He replaces Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. Pezeshkian secured over 16 million votes, or about 54 percent of the roughly 30 million ballots cast. Voter turnout in the runoff stood at 49.8 percent, up from a record low of about 40 percent in the first round, according to Iran's electoral authority.

The ceremony was attended by Jalili and former moderate president Hassan Rouhani, who had supported Pezeshkian’s candidacy, along with Iran’s main reformist coalition. Pezeshkian was the sole reformist candidate allowed to stand in the election, with all contenders approved by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council.

While the president of Iran is not the head of state, with ultimate authority resting with the supreme leader—a position Khamenei has held for 35 years—Pezeshkian expressed gratitude to Khamenei and the Iranian people, vowing to carry the "heavy burden" of the presidency.