In the first debate between Iranian presidential candidates on the subject of the economy on June 17, candidates shaped two fronts for and against the need to normalise international relations.

Iran is holding snap presidential elections on June 28, following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi on May 19 in a helicopter crash close the border of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Six candidates are competing in the presidential race, including five from the so-called fundamentalist front and a single representative of the reformist faction. Of the six, the three with the best chance of winning are Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the conservative speaker of parliament; Saeed Jalili, a hardline former nuclear negotiator who attracts a certain group of Iranian voters and reformist Kurdish-Azerbaijani Masoud Pezeshkian, who is working surgeon and MP.

At the beginning of the debate, Mullah Mustafa Pour-Mohammadi from the traditionalist centrist hardline faction expressed similar views to the pro-reform nominee, Masoud Pezeshkian, throwing the reformist voters into a spin. Pour-Mohammadi, has had a bit of transformation in recent years despite his official status as a cleric and is angling for a role in a future reformist-led administration.

During the debate, the candidates presented contrasting views on the state of Iran’s economy and its relationship with the world. Two candidates, Pezeshkian and Pour-Mohammadi argued that the economy's improvement is contingent on normalising international relations, while the other four maintained that it can be bolstered through domestic manufacturing, even under strict sanctions.

The Islamic Republic’s economy has been ailing due to several factors, including tough sanctions imposed by the United States, as well as the country’s refusal to join the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). This global entity sets standards for tackling money laundering and terrorist financing. Iran has repeatedly failed its stress tests, failing to implement anti-money laundering rules as well as stopping finance to groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, currently at war with Israel.

Pour-Mohammadi said the economy cannot be separated from politics, saying the Islamic Republic needs to avoid confrontation with other countries and employ effective diplomacy to open up new opportunities, echoing the call from Pezeshkian.

Pezeshkian acknowledged the negative impacts of sanctions, saying it has hindered foreign investment and caused substantial loss in oil exports, not to mention the costs of circumventing the bans.

Apart from Qalibaf, who remained neutral and refused to disagree with any of the candidates, the other three directly attacked Pezeshkian and Pour-Mohammadi, accusing them of spreading despair and linking the country’s prosperity to foreigners.

Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani led the hardline front, blaming the two for what he called pursuing a “diplomacy of begging” in a snide hit at former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who said he would return to the foreign ministry if Pezeshkian wins.

Zakani said normal relations do not necessarily guarantee economic prosperity, citing Turkey which is experiencing high inflation rates despite such international ties. The Tehran mayor, who has been heavily involved in selling government land and other potential corruption cases, is not well admired by many in the Iranian capital.

Echoing the words of the leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he said sanctions should be neutralised inside the country without giving a specific goal for how to reach that.

Another hardline contender, Amir-Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi said the country needs “internal power”, not one that can be harmed when a “paper” is torn by a government, referring to the US jumping out of the nuclear agreement.

He referred to the 2015 nuclear deal under which international sanctions were lifted but were later reimposed when the US withdrew in 2018.

Jalili rejected the idea that economic problems are rooted in sanctions, saying the US so-called “maximum pressure” has failed thanks to Raisi’s policies.

The four candidates continually praised Raisi’s performance, putting all the blame on his predecessor, Hassan Rouhani. In Iranian culture, it is poor form to attack the dead predecessor, despite the fact the national currency plummeted under his watch and he was president amid killings on the streets from the death of Mahsa Amini.

Pezeshkian and Pour-Mohammadi did not idolise Raisi or make any critical remarks, clearly marking their difference from the hardline conservatives.

Throughout the debate, Qalibaf cleverly avoided any confrontation and focused on his own plans.

The first presidential debate in Iran has ignited discussions among voters, shedding light on the frontrunners and the strategies employed by the candidates.

Viewers took to online platforms to express their opinions on the candidates' performances. One user criticised candidate Masoud Pezeshkian, stating, "Anyone who wants the country to regress should vote for Pezeshkian. He, like his friends, looks outward and will follow the same old path." The user emphasised that successful countries first focus on internal development rather than relying on foreign support.

Another commenter observed that candidates Alireza Zakani and Seyyed Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi primarily aimed to attack Pezeshkian during the debate, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

The user also noted that candidates Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, Saeed Jalili, and Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf had little to offer in terms of substantive remarks.

A viewer named Ali believes that the main competition lies between Pour-Mohammadi, Qalibaf, and Pezeshkian, suggesting that the other three candidates have slim chances of success.

Meanwhile, some users expressed dissatisfaction with the overall quality of the debate, describing it as "extremely boring" and criticising the general and unbalanced nature of the topics discussed.

As the presidential race unfolds, this debate doesn’t seem to have changed the local population’s positions; the overall turnout will be key on June 28, which way the country will go in the next few years, given the poor turnout earlier this year in local elections all sides are nervous of a surprise result.