Masoud Pezeshkian will be Iran's Next President

Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and lawmaker who has promised to reach out to the West, has won the presidential run-off by beating rival Saeed Jalili.

Pezeshkian secured 53.7 percent of the votes, or 16.3m, according to the official count. Jalili received 44.3 percent, or 13.5m.

In his first public comments after the results were declared, Pezeshkian expressed gratitude to those who voted "with love and to help" the country.

Pezeshkian’s supporters took to the streets of Tehran and other cities before dawn to celebrate as his lead grew over Jalili.

The run-off on Friday followed a June 28 ballot with an historically low turnout, when more than 60 percent of Iranian voters abstained from the snap election for a successor to Ebrahim Raisi, following his death in a helicopter crash in May.