Recently elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in his first press conference on September 16 that his government would strive to settle issues relating to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the 2015 nuclear deal, ISNA reported.

Iran has been on the blacklist of FATF, the global body that oversees money laundering and terrorist financing, for years. The designation has disrupted the country’s international transactions and trade. The country has been under sweeping American sanctions since the United States pulled out of the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in 2018. Negotiations to restore the landmark agreement and secure the lifting of sanctions have failed as well during the Biden administration

Pezeshkian came to power in July with vows of normalising Iran’s relations with the world, including through resolving the issues of the FATF designation and JCPOA.

"We have no choice but to resolve the FATF issue," Pezeshkian stated, adding that he would write a letter to the Expediency Council. "If we can solve the FATF issue, the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal) and any kind of connection with the world, employment and investment will be created in the country."

The president, who took office in July, also stressed the need to tackle economic imbalances for both the state and people, including potentially increasing the per litre price of petrol in the coming month. 

"We must solve these imbalances, and we shouldn't say that if we touch the imbalance here, there will be an outcry," he said. 

"The media should help us in this regard and provide ideas so that we can solve the problems."

Pezeshkian also dismissed claims that Iran has delivered missiles to Russia for its war on Ukraine, now hypersonic missiles to Yemen.

Western countries have recently claimed that Iran has delivered ballistic missiles to Russia and have introduced sanctions on this ground despite Iran’s firm denial.

“I firmly say we have not given anything [missiles] to Russia because we are looking for peace,” he said.

Iran has also been accused of supplying arms to the Houthis of Yemen, although officials in Tehran have repeatedly rejected the claims.

On September 15, the Iran-backed group fired a surface-to-surface missile toward central Israel which landed in an uninhabited area near Tel Aviv after air defence systems failed to intercept it. Some reports have suggested that the missile was supplied by Iran.

“There is no such thing, we don’t even have such missiles in Iran,” he said, adding that the Yemenis have the technology and build the weapons themselves.

A female journalist who asked about the so-called morality police bothering her on her way to the conference was met with a quick retort by Pezeshkian, who said: "he would deal with the issue." 

The Islamic Republic faced its most widespread protests in 2022 after a young girl, Mahsa Amini, died in the custody of the hijab police, with the former Raisi government struggling to deal with growing dissent before his death in May.

Pezeshkian said the Ministry of Interior is setting regulations about hijab, but added his government is under pressure by certain groups that he did not specify.

“On the one hand, they put pressure on us, but on the other we should not allow these things to happen,” he said.

The president also addressed concerns about the advanced age of his cabinet, promising to involve more youth in government positions.

"Ministers and heads of departments must have young elites beside them," he stated. "While appointing young people, we try to train them in skills, execution, and administrative hierarchy."

Pezeshkian touched on the idea of relocating the capital, citing environmental concerns in Tehran. "Unfortunately, we are developing the capital without considering resources and consumption, which is scientifically impossible to continue, and we need to find a solution," he explained.