Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist, wants warmer relations with the West, with the goal of ending sanctions. But his powers are strictly limited.

Iran's president-elect, low-profile moderate Masoud Pezeshkian, carries the hopes of millions of Iranians seeking less restrictions on social freedoms and a more pragmatic foreign policy.

Fear of a hard-line alternative drove higher turnout for a candidate who pledged to rein in the morality police and resume nuclear talks.