UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Saturday extended his "warm congratulations" to Hassan Rouhani, the confirmed winner of the Iranian presidential elections.

Ban conveyed the message in a statement issued here by his spokesman.

"The secretary-general has been closely following the eleventh presidential election in Iran held on 14 June and notes with satisfaction the reported high turnout," said the statement.

"The secretary-general intends to remain engaged with the Iranian authorities and with the president-elect on issues of importance to the international community and the welfare of the Iranian people," the statement said. "He will continue encouraging Iran to play a constructive role in regional and international affairs."

Rouhani won 18,613,329 votes, accounting for 50.7 percent of all the votes, with a turnout rate of 72.2 percent, said Iran`s Minister of Interior Affairs Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar in Tehran, the Iranian capital, Saturday. 

Source: ANTARA