Second round of debates in Iran’s presidential runoff election was held this Tuesday night between presidential contenders Saeed Jalili and Masoud Pezeshkian.
The two candidates for Iran’s presidency, Saeed Jalili and Masoud Pezeshkian, held the second televised debate this Tuesday night, with economic issues and foreign policy being at the center of discussion.
It was the second — and last — live debate on state television pitting Pezeshkian and Jalili face to face ahead of Friday’s runoff election in which voters will choose a successor for the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died last month in a helicopter crash.
Pezeshkian was the first candidate to answer a question about economic sanctions and how to neutralize them. “I will abide by the parliament’s strategic action law to neutralize sanctions,” Pezeshkian said in response to the question. The parliament’s piece of legislation calls for taking steps away from the JCPOA (nuclear deal) in a bid to pressure the Western countries to lift the unlawful sanctions.
He also stressed the need for expanding dialogue with the other parties of the JCPOA to lift the sanctions on Iran in a bid to help the economy to reach 8 percent growth annually.
Jalili, however, strongly criticized this approach and said the best way to neutralize sanctions is not to return to the negotiating table with the JCPOS parties, but to follow the foreign policy adopted by the late President Ebrahim Raisi and expand ties with the neighbors and African and Asian countries.
Stressing that his government will make the bullying Western states to lift the sanctions themselves by neutralizing the impact of sanctions, Jalili said that the West owes much to Iran when it comes to sanctions and the JCPOA.
“We are compelled to first interact and exchange with regional countries for growth and prosperity, and then with other countries (across the world),” Jalili said, adding that despite sanctions, there are so many opportunities and growth potentials.”
Inflation, a hot topic in the second debate!
Speaking of high inflation in Iran and how to stop it, Pezeshkian said: “If it is possible to import foreign currency into the country, inflation and pressure on the people can be removed. During the embargo, it is not possible to buy and transactions are not formed; Therefore, the prices rise and inflation follows.”
Emphasizing that many of the government’s unnecessary expenses should be reduced, Jalili said: “The financial discipline that we designed is based on the fact that if there is a waste of resources, the government must strictly stop it, and this is the first step to fight high inflation.”
In total, both candidates promised to revive the economy, provide energy subsidies to poor people, revive the stock market, increase the pace of building houses for Iranians, and facilitate importing cars while supporting the domestic auto industry.
