Pourmohammadi, Zakani Talk About ‘Crescent Deal’

Pourmohammadi emphasized the necessity of party-based activities to legitimize political actions in the country. He highlighted the challenges posed by candidates who reject the party system, questioning how success can be achieved under such circumstances.

“Unfortunately, some people do not believe in the role of the public and do not make any effort to encourage optimism and participation among the people," Pourmohammadi stated. "Why is there no political party system in the country to legitimize political activities?"

He further noted that some individuals resist organized political behavior and the formation of political parties, which hinders the development of a structured political landscape.

“When I was the Minister of the Interior and wanted to organize NGOs, Saeed Jalili summoned my deputy and said that I was trying to incite a color revolution."

Alireza Zakani said, "In a book titled 'Ideological Foreign Policy Based on Dignity-Seeking Diplomacy,' I have outlined my ideas."

"The world is changing, and with outdated models and methods, we cannot accurately position ourselves for power in the region and the world,” he said, adding that “Our first priority is to promote the dignity of Iranians.”

Healso said that Iran should further empower its “axis of resistance.” He said the reinforcement of the Axis of Resistance, Iran's proxies in the region, will be a key focus of his foreign policy.

"We have significant capacity in the region, and Iran is the superior power. The events that occurred in Operation True Promise (Iran's attack on Israel) and Al-Aqsa Storm (Oct. Hamas attack) have changed regional dynamics."

Hardliner candidate Saeed Jalili said he prioritizes foreign currency earnings and employment, rejecting the influence of Western relations and nuclear deal.

Jalili said the Islamic Republic must have seen the conflict between Russia and the European Union as an opportunity to seize.

"Russia used to import $11 billion worth of vegetables from Europe; after the conflict, this opportunity arose for Iran to send them vegetables," he said.

"From Latin America to Africa, our neighbors, and countries in the Resistance Front that can create opportunities for us should not be overlooked," Jalili said.

He said Iran must "have the most economic relations with our neighbors; it should not be that others have more relations with them than we do."

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.