Masoud Pezeshkian

Last updated: June 3, 2026

Masoud Pezeshkian (مسعود پزشکیان) became the ninth President of Iran in July 2024, following a snap election held after his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash. The Iranian President 2024 election was framed as a contest between hardliners and the reform camp — Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and longtime member of parliament, ran as the reformist candidate and won on promises of diplomatic engagement with the West, relief from international sanctions, and a more moderate posture on nuclear negotiations.

Pezeshkian foreign policy and the nuclear deal. The defining foreign policy question of Pezeshkian’s presidency was whether he could revive the JCPOA framework and ease Pezeshkian sanctions that had strangled the Iranian economy for years. He came to office signaling openness to renewed nuclear talks, and his foreign minister pursued back-channel diplomacy with European interlocutors. The Pezeshkian nuclear deal ambitions, however, collided with Iran’s entrenched security establishment and American demands that went beyond what any Iranian president — reformist or not — could accept domestically.

Pezeshkian Israel and the Iran War. Whatever diplomatic opening Pezeshkian sought was overtaken by escalation. The 2025 Israel-Iran confrontation — the 12-Day War — defined the middle period of his presidency. Pezeshkian Israel relations had already deteriorated through the Gaza war; Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow brought the two countries into direct military confrontation. Groong covered the Iran War and its regional fallout extensively, examining what Pezeshkian’s reformist label meant in wartime conditions where power effectively rested with the IRGC and Supreme Leader Khamenei.

Pezeshkian Armenia and South Caucasus strategy. For Groong listeners, Pezeshkian Armenia policy is the most directly relevant dimension of his presidency. Iran shares a border with Armenia and has long served as a strategic counterweight to the Turkey-Pakistan-Azerbaijan axis — opposing any Zangezur corridor arrangement under Azerbaijani or Turkish control, maintaining trade ties with Armenia during periods of regional isolation, and providing an alternative energy and connectivity route for Yerevan. Iran President Pezeshkian traveled to Baku early in his tenure, signaling Iran’s complex balancing act between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Groong episodes covering this period examine how Masoud Pezeshkian Iran foreign policy played out in the South Caucasus: what the Iran War meant for the Iran-Armenia border, how Iranian pressure on corridor diplomacy intersected with the TRIPP proposal, and whether a post-war Iran would emerge as a more or less engaged partner for Yerevan.

Browse all Groong episodes tagged Masoud Pezeshkian below.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Masoud Pezeshkian.

Hrant Mikaelian - Iran War, IRI Poll Review, Armenian Political Landscape for 2026 Election | Ep 521, Mar 8, 2026 [EP521]

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 11, 2026 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Election, Poll, Iran, USA, Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, China | Series: wir, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran War Update
  • IRI Poll Review
  • Political Landscape

Episode 521 | Recorded: March 10, 2026

#IranWar #EpicFury #MiddleEastWar #ArmeniaForeignPolicy #Sumgait1988 #IranIsraelConflict

Hrant Mikaelian - Iran War, IRI Poll Review, Armenian Political Landscape for 2026 Election | Ep 521, Mar 8, 2026 [EP521]

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 11, 2026 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Election, Poll, Iran, USA, Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, China

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran War Update
  • IRI Poll Review
  • Political Landscape

Episode 521 | Recorded: March 10, 2026

#IranWar #EpicFury #MiddleEastWar #ArmeniaForeignPolicy #Sumgait1988 #IranIsraelConflict

Hrant Mikaelian - Iran War, Effect on Armenia, Sumgait Pogroms | Ep 520, Mar 1, 2026 [EP520]

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 4, 2026 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, USA, Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, China, BRICS, Ukraine, Middle East, Geopolitics, NATO, Syria | Series: wir, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • US and Israel launch war against Iran
  • Decapitation strikes, mass civilian casualties
  • Iran retaliates region-wide, war expands
  • Armenia leadership silent
  • Sumgait remembered

Episode 520 | Recorded: March 3, 2026

#IranWar #EpicFury #MiddleEastWar #ArmeniaForeignPolicy #Sumgait1988 #IranIsraelConflict

Hrant Mikaelian - Iran War, Effect on Armenia, Sumgait Pogroms | Ep 520, Mar 1, 2026 [EP520]

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 4, 2026 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, USA, Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, China, BRICS, Ukraine, Middle East, Geopolitics, NATO, Syria

Guest:

Topics:

  • US and Israel launch war against Iran
  • Decapitation strikes, mass civilian casualties
  • Iran retaliates region-wide, war expands
  • Armenia leadership silent
  • Sumgait remembered

Episode 520 | Recorded: March 3, 2026

#IranWar #EpicFury #MiddleEastWar #ArmeniaForeignPolicy #Sumgait1988 #IranIsraelConflict

Tevan Poghosyan - State Sovereignty Day, TRIPP Trap, Reactions, Kitchen Sink | Ep 464, Aug 24, 2025 [EP464]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 26, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Geopolitics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Israel, Genocide, China, Ukraine | Series: wir, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • August 23: Armenia’s declaration of State Sovereignty
  • The TRIPP Trap
  • Iran - Pezeshkian’s Visit
  • Russia - Overchuk’s visit
  • The Kitchen Sink

Episode 464 | Recorded: August 25, 2025

Tevan Poghosyan - State Sovereignty Day, TRIPP Trap, Reactions, Kitchen Sink | Ep 464, Aug 24, 2025 [EP464]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 26, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Geopolitics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Israel, Genocide, China, Ukraine

Guest:

Topics:

  • August 23: Armenia’s declaration of State Sovereignty
  • The TRIPP Trap
  • Iran - Pezeshkian’s Visit
  • Russia - Overchuk’s visit
  • The Kitchen Sink

Episode 464 | Recorded: August 25, 2025

Sergei Melkonian - Alaska Summit, Trump Corridor, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Our Way | Ep 463, Aug 17, 2025 [EP463]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 19, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Geopolitics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Syria, Armenian Church, NATO | Series: wir, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • Trump-Putin Alaska Summit
  • Trump Corridor Politics
  • Russian-Azerbaijani Relations
  • Russian-Iranian Recalibration
  • New Opposition Emerging - Our Way

Episode 463 | Recorded: August 18, 2025

Sergei Melkonian - Alaska Summit, Trump Corridor, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Our Way | Ep 463, Aug 17, 2025 [EP463]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 19, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Geopolitics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Syria, Armenian Church, NATO

Guest:

Topics:

  • Trump-Putin Alaska Summit
  • Trump Corridor Politics
  • Russian-Azerbaijani Relations
  • Russian-Iranian Recalibration
  • New Opposition Emerging - Our Way

Episode 463 | Recorded: August 18, 2025

Hamid Bahrami - Iran and the corridor through Syunik, Armenia | Ep 461, Aug 16, 2025 [EP461]

Posted on Saturday, Aug 16, 2025 | Category: Iran, Geopolitics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, China, Turkey, Israel, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, Ukraine, Syria, Middle East, Georgia | Series: cog, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • TRIPP Corridor & US Involvement
  • US-Israel Strategy & War Risks
  • Iran’s Missed Opportunities & Shifts
  • Future of Iran–Armenia Relations

Episode 461 | Recorded: August 13, 2025

Hamid Bahrami - Iran and the corridor through Syunik, Armenia | Ep 461, Aug 16, 2025 [EP461]

Posted on Saturday, Aug 16, 2025 | Category: Iran, Geopolitics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, China, Turkey, Israel, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, Ukraine, Syria, Middle East, Georgia

Guest:

Topics:

  • TRIPP Corridor & US Involvement
  • US-Israel Strategy & War Risks
  • Iran’s Missed Opportunities & Shifts
  • Future of Iran–Armenia Relations

Episode 461 | Recorded: August 13, 2025

Benyamin Poghosyan - Trump Ultimatum to Putin, Corridor Pressures, DC Summit, Kitchen Sink | Ep 457, Aug 3, 2025 [EP457]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 5, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Poll, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, India, China, Armenian Genocide, NATO | Series: wir, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • Trump Ultimatum to Putin
  • US Sanctions effect on Armenia
  • Turkey, US, and Armenia’s Territory
  • The Kitchen Sink

Episode 457 | Recorded: August 3, 2025

Benyamin Poghosyan - Trump Ultimatum to Putin, Corridor Pressures, DC Summit, Kitchen Sink | Ep 457, Aug 3, 2025 [EP457]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 5, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Poll, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, India, China, Armenian Genocide, NATO

Guest:

Topics:

  • Trump Ultimatum to Putin
  • US Sanctions effect on Armenia
  • Turkey, US, and Armenia’s Territory
  • The Kitchen Sink

Episode 457 | Recorded: August 3, 2025

Dziunik Aghajanian – Fallout from Israel’s War on Iran, Azerbaijan’s Confrontation with Russia, Pashinyan’s Persecution of the Armenian Church, while he courts the EU | Ep 451 [EP451]

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 1, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Iran, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, USA, Israel, Armenian Church, Artsakh, Georgia, Russia, Economy | Series: wir, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran War
  • Iran-Azerbaijan Relations
  • Russian-Azerbaijani Tensions
  • Russian-Armenian Relations
  • Persecution of The Church Continues
  • Kaja Kallas in Armenia
  • OIC Declaration

Episode 451 | Recorded: June 30, 2025

Dziunik Aghajanian – Fallout from Israel’s War on Iran, Azerbaijan’s Confrontation with Russia, Pashinyan’s Persecution of the Armenian Church, while he courts the EU | Ep 451 [EP451]

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 1, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Iran, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, USA, Israel, Armenian Church, Artsakh, Georgia, Russia, Economy

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran War
  • Iran-Azerbaijan Relations
  • Russian-Azerbaijani Tensions
  • Russian-Armenian Relations
  • Persecution of The Church Continues
  • Kaja Kallas in Armenia
  • OIC Declaration

Episode 451 | Recorded: June 30, 2025

Ehsan Movahedian - Iran Amidst Geopolitical Tensions | Ep 437, May 19, 2025 [EP437]

Posted on Monday, May 19, 2025 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Geopolitics, USA, Russia, Israel, Azerbaijan, Syria, Turkey, Georgia, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, China, Middle East, Economy | Series: cog

Guest:

Topics:

  • US-Iran Nuclear Talks
  • Pezeshkian Visit to Baku
  • Iran-Armenia Relations
  • US Support for Azerbaijan

Episode 437 | Recorded: May 16, 2025

Ehsan Movahedian - Iran Amidst Geopolitical Tensions | Ep 437, May 19, 2025 [EP437]

Posted on Monday, May 19, 2025 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Geopolitics, USA, Russia, Israel, Azerbaijan, Syria, Turkey, Georgia, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, China, Middle East, Economy

Guest:

Topics:

  • US-Iran Nuclear Talks
  • Pezeshkian Visit to Baku
  • Iran-Armenia Relations
  • US Support for Azerbaijan

Episode 437 | Recorded: May 16, 2025

Arthur Khachatryan - Iran, US, Armenia, Fake Peace, Gyumri & Parakar Municipal Elections | Ep 425, Mar 30, 2025 [EP425]

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 1, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Elections, Azerbaijan, Iran, USA, European Union, Turkey, Israel, Genocide, Russia, China, Georgia, Human Rights, Syria, Middle East | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran Rejects US Offer of Direct Negotiations
  • Iran and Armenia Ties
  • Gyumri and Parakar Municipal Elections
  • Artsakh Refugee Protests in Armenia

Episode 425 | Recorded: March 31, 2025

Arthur Khachatryan - Iran, US, Armenia, Fake Peace, Gyumri & Parakar Municipal Elections | Ep 425, Mar 30, 2025 [EP425]

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 1, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Elections, Azerbaijan, Iran, USA, European Union, Turkey, Israel, Genocide, Russia, China, Georgia, Human Rights, Syria, Middle East

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran Rejects US Offer of Direct Negotiations
  • Iran and Armenia Ties
  • Gyumri and Parakar Municipal Elections
  • Artsakh Refugee Protests in Armenia

Episode 425 | Recorded: March 31, 2025

Anna Karapetyan - Pashinyan in DC, Trump Sanctions ICC, Azerbaijani Diplomacy, Workers Strike at ZCMC | Ep 413, Feb 9, 2025 [EP413]

Posted on Thursday, Feb 13, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Artsakh Blockade, Armenian Genocide, Russia, Genocide, Turkey, Geopolitics, Human Rights, NATO | Series: wir

Guest:

  • Anna Karapetyan Director of the Insight Analytical Center for Applied Policy and Research.

Topics:

  • Pashinyan in DC
  • Trump Sanctions the ICC
  • Azerbaijani Diplomacy in Action
  • Workers Strike at Zangezur Mining Co.

Episode 413 | Recorded: February 11, 2025

Anna Karapetyan - Pashinyan in DC, Trump Sanctions ICC, Azerbaijani Diplomacy, Workers Strike at ZCMC | Ep 413, Feb 9, 2025 [EP413]

Posted on Thursday, Feb 13, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Artsakh Blockade, Armenian Genocide, Russia, Genocide, Turkey, Geopolitics, Human Rights, NATO

Guest:

  • Anna Karapetyan Director of the Insight Analytical Center for Applied Policy and Research.

Topics:

  • Pashinyan in DC
  • Trump Sanctions the ICC
  • Azerbaijani Diplomacy in Action
  • Workers Strike at Zangezur Mining Co.

Episode 413 | Recorded: February 11, 2025

Arthur Khachatryan - Mirzoyan in Moscow, Kostanyan in Tehran, Mher Grigoryan on the Border, FIS Annual Report, Silence of the Lambs | Ep 409, Jan 26, 2025 [EP408]

Posted on Thursday, Jan 30, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Economy, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Russia, Armenian Church, Armenian Genocide, Iran, European Union, Genocide, Syria, Lebanon, NATO, Middle East, Ukraine, Human Rights | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • Mirzoyan in Moscow
  • Vahan Kostanyan in Tehran
  • Mher Grigoryan on the Border (concessions)
  • FIS Annual Report 2025
  • The Silence of the Lambs

Episode 408 | Recorded: January 29, 2025

Arthur Khachatryan - Mirzoyan in Moscow, Kostanyan in Tehran, Mher Grigoryan on the Border, FIS Annual Report, Silence of the Lambs | Ep 409, Jan 26, 2025 [EP408]

Posted on Thursday, Jan 30, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Economy, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Russia, Armenian Church, Armenian Genocide, Iran, European Union, Genocide, Syria, Lebanon, NATO, Middle East, Ukraine, Human Rights

Guest:

Topics:

  • Mirzoyan in Moscow
  • Vahan Kostanyan in Tehran
  • Mher Grigoryan on the Border (concessions)
  • FIS Annual Report 2025
  • The Silence of the Lambs

Episode 408 | Recorded: January 29, 2025

Hrant Mikaelian - Trump Inauguration, Iran-Russia, UK-Ukraine, US-Armenia Strategic Partnerships | Ep 406, Jan 19, 2025 [EP406]

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, USA, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Israel, Middle East, Turkey, European Union, Syria, China, Economy, Lebanon, NATO | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • Trump Inauguration
  • Russian-Iranian Strategic Partnership
  • UK-Ukrainian 100-Year Partnership
  • US-Armenian “Strategic Partnership”

Episode 406 | Recorded: January 20, 2025

Hrant Mikaelian - Trump Inauguration, Iran-Russia, UK-Ukraine, US-Armenia Strategic Partnerships | Ep 406, Jan 19, 2025 [EP406]

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, USA, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Israel, Middle East, Turkey, European Union, Syria, China, Economy, Lebanon, NATO

Guest:

Topics:

  • Trump Inauguration
  • Russian-Iranian Strategic Partnership
  • UK-Ukrainian 100-Year Partnership
  • US-Armenian “Strategic Partnership”

Episode 406 | Recorded: January 20, 2025

Yeghia Tashjian - Iran’s Geopolitical Moves, Armenia Azerbaijan Talks, Stalled Normalization | Ep 353 - Aug 11, 2024 [EP353]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2024 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Middle East, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Lebanon, Russia, USA, Armenian Genocide, European Union, Turkey, Georgia, China, Genocide, Ukraine | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran’s Geopolitical Moves
  • Armenia Azerbaijan Talks
  • Stalled “Normalization”

Episode 353 | Recorded: August 12, 2024

Yeghia Tashjian - Iran’s Geopolitical Moves, Armenia Azerbaijan Talks, Stalled Normalization | Ep 353 - Aug 11, 2024 [EP353]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2024 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Middle East, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Lebanon, Russia, USA, Armenian Genocide, European Union, Turkey, Georgia, China, Genocide, Ukraine

Guest:

Topics:

  • Iran’s Geopolitical Moves
  • Armenia Azerbaijan Talks
  • Stalled “Normalization”

Episode 353 | Recorded: August 12, 2024

Tevan Poghosyan - US Leadership Changes, Iran Armenia Relations, Russian-Armenian Relations, EU Push for an Agreement, Srbazan Movement Next Steps | Ep 351 - Aug 4, 2024 [EP351]

Posted on Sunday, Aug 4, 2024 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Economy, China, Genocide, Human Rights, Ukraine, Israel, European Union, NATO | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • US Leadership Changes
  • Iran Armenia Relations
  • Russian-Armenian Relations
  • EU Push for an Agreement
  • Srbazan Movement Next Steps

Episode 351 | Recorded: August 6, 2024

Tevan Poghosyan - US Leadership Changes, Iran Armenia Relations, Russian-Armenian Relations, EU Push for an Agreement, Srbazan Movement Next Steps | Ep 351 - Aug 4, 2024 [EP351]

Posted on Sunday, Aug 4, 2024 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Economy, China, Genocide, Human Rights, Ukraine, Israel, European Union, NATO

Guest:

Topics:

  • US Leadership Changes
  • Iran Armenia Relations
  • Russian-Armenian Relations
  • EU Push for an Agreement
  • Srbazan Movement Next Steps

Episode 351 | Recorded: August 6, 2024