The story: Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian has beaten hardliner Saeed Jalili in the Iranian presidential race. The July 5 runoff drew some six million more voters than the first round of polling on June 28, pushing up turnout to just under 50%.

While President-elect Pezeshkian will begin receiving calls and hold discussions with foreign counterparts from July 8, he will not be sworn in before the parliament until early August. This has not, however, stopped Iranian veteran diplomats from immediately backing any effort by Pezeshkian to engage the west and...