Iran's presidential hopefuls pledge to end to western sanctions ahead of election

The last debate is set to take place on Tuesday

A billboard featuring presidential candidates is displayed on a street in Tehran. Reuters

Iran's presidential candidates discussed the country's foreign policy on Monday in a three-hour televised debate ahead of the vote later this week.

Iranians will head to the polls on Friday to vote for the country's next leader after a helicopter crash last month killed president Ebrahim Raisi and other officials. There are six candidates to choose from, the majority of whom are hardliner loyalists.

All candidates vowed to lift western sanctions and put forward various pathways to revive a nuclear deal that collapsed in 2018 when former US president Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the most prominent contender, said he would return to negotiations and a new deal would "definitely" be reached but under a gradual policy that would ultimately result in the lifting of sanctions.

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian argued that the negotiations to return to a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), should be led by experts.

He said the strongest indication that the deal works was that it was opposed by Mr Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – the two public figures he said are most against Tehran.

Hardliner and former nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, suggested Iran move towards consolidating is relations with Africa and Latin America to alleviate itself of the economic pressure brought about by the sanctions.

Mostafa Pourmohammadi, another hardliner, referred to disagreements that have often surrounded Tehran's approach to issues such as sanctions and the nuclear deal, saying "foreign policy is a matter of national consensus and there should be a concentrated effort to realise a clear vision in foreign policy".

Ultraconservative mayor of Tehran, Alireza Zakani, said the country should pursue a diplomatic solution to remove sanctions. Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Iran's Vice President, took a different tack, criticising past decisions regarding the nuclear deal, saying Iran had made too many concessions without having sanctions removed in return.

Growing apathy

Turnout at the polls is expected to be low as voter apathy runs high following years of economic sanctions and violent government crackdowns on dissent.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called for "maximum" turnout in the election to "overcome the enemy" and warned candidates from swaying away from the ideas of the Iranian revolution. Despite not naming any candidate, the remarks appear to be aimed at Mr Pezeshkian, who has called for more openness to the West.

Reformists are still loyal to the theocracy in Iran but advocate economic reform, more liberal social policies and further outreach to western countries.

Parliamentary elections this year featured a record low turnout on the back of widespread anti-government protests in 2022 – met with a bloody crackdown – and increasing opposition among Iranian women towards the mandatory hijab.

Iranian dissidents, both outside and inside the country, have called for a boycott of the elections, arguing that a high turnout would give Iran the legitimacy it seeks.