Jalili Rejects Western Ties and Nuclear Deal

Mostafa Pourmohammadi emphasized the intrinsic connection between domestic strength and international success, stating, "Foreign policy is an extension of domestic policy; if we are strong domestically, we can achieve and solidify our goals internationally."

Addressing the current political climate, he questioned the reluctance to engage in discussions about domestic policy: "Why don't we want to discuss domestic policy?" He reiterated the importance of internal stability as a foundation for achieving international objectives.

Pourmohammadi also highlighted the necessity of active civic participation, urging everyone to contribute to increasing electoral involvement. "Everyone must strive to increase participation," he asserted, underscoring the significance of elections in maintaining the integrity of national politics. "The issue of elections is the dignity of the country's politics," he concluded.

He argued that election law and process has to be clarified. In fact, elections are highly manipulated according to the preferences of the core of the ruling regime.

Without this "the ice" with the people will not melt and general disinterest will persist.

Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi spent most of his time defending the performance of late president Ebrahim Raisi in foreign policy, enumerating some of the countries that bolstered relations with Iran under Raisi such as Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan.

He added that the Raisi administration revived Iran's ties with Saudi Arabia and Egypt and improved Tehran's relations with Baku, while the country's ties had been severed even with Bahrain and Djibouti during the Rouhani admin.

"Azeri president Ilham Aliyev used to threaten Iran and Tajikistan and Uzbekistan did not have amicable ties with us in final years of Rouhani's term in office," he said.
He said the Raisi admin removed the specter of war.

Masoud Pezeshkian stressed internal consensus for confronting internal and external challenges, implicitly referring to responsiveness to public opinion. He also defended the JCPOA nuclear deal briefly and called for resolving the issue of sanctions.

He said the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) was signed by the very administration that his rivals "criticize and find fault with, yet now they are seeking to finalize and resolve it."

"The JCPOA belonged to the previous government, which the brothers criticize, but now they are trying to finalize and solve it. The JCPOA was an advantage of the past government, but with the obstacles that were created, it was not allowed to succeed. The dispute is about whose name it should carry!" he explained.

"In the region, we have the potential to be a transit hub from east to west and bring significant benefits. Why haven't we achieved this? Because we are in conflict both among ourselves and with our neighbors," Pezeshkian added.

He said the Islamic Republic must "address the sanctions and the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) issues if it wants to resolve economic problems and improve relations with the world."

Highlighting internal political discord, Pezeshkian pointed out that achieving consensus and satisfying the general public are crucial steps toward solving economic and international problems.

His remarks remained general, calling for resolution of issues with other countries, but did not offer details.

Parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf described the international pressure on Iran as “opportunities,” referring to remarks by former commander of IRGC Quds force Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US targeted killing.

His intention is to pursue regime's plans and priorities. However, the Islamic Republic has many "open files" that need to be addressed and closed. This can refer to Iran's "nuclear file".

Ghalibaf raised the issue of the December 2021 nuclear bill, which increased uranium enrichment and reduced international inspections. He said that Iran needs to stick to Khamenei's guidelines. "The Supreme Leader stressed that this law will be our strategy," Ghalibaf said.

Ghalibaf said he will "definitely negotiate" with the West if elected, and he will "certainly clinch a deal within the framework of the Islamic Republic's macro policies."

"Any agreement that has economic benefits for Iran will be pursued step by step and action by action," he said.

He also dismissed his pro-reform rival Masoud Pezeshkian's advisor Javad Zarif's claim that the parliament obstructed the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal by passing the Strategic Action Plan to Lift Sanctions and Protect Iranian Nation's Interest, saying "the Strategic Action Plan is no obstacle to the removal of sanctions."

The first batch of questions were about Iran’s threats and opportunities. The candidates were asked to explain their plans to implement long-term agreements signed with China and Russia, while maintaining a balance with other countries of the world. They were also asked to elaborate on their plans to increase Iran’s international trade.

The candidates were also asked to explain how Iran plans to support its proxy militia or what the Islamic Republic calls ‘the resistance front.’