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Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.</s>The Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, has taken a combative tone in campaigning as conservative rivals pull out all the stops to prevent him from being re-elected. 



The favourite among reformists of the six candidates running for president on 19 May, Rouhani has crossed red lines in Iranian politics with attacks on the elite Revolutionary Guards and the characterisation of one of his main challengers as someone whose only talent was execution and imprisonment.



The president had been put on the defensive during two televised debates in which conservative rivals Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Tehran mayor, and hardliner Ebrahim Raisi attacked the country’s economic performance since he made the 2015 nuclear deal with the west, which lifted some sanctions.

But Rouhani, a moderate, hit back with attacks on the hardliners as he sought to reach the estimated 40% of the 55 million Iranians who do not usually vote.

“We want the law for all institutions, we don’t want institutions exempted from tax. How come it’s good for people to pay tax, not for you?” Rouhani said in an apparent reference to Raisi, who is the custodian of the wealthiest charity in the Muslim world, which does not pay tax. 



In an extraordinary reference at a rally on Monday to Raisi’s former judicial career, which includes a notorious incident in 1988 when he was one of four judges who oversaw the mass execution of dissidents, he said: “The people of Iran will announce in this election that they don’t accept those who only knew executions and prison for 38 years.”

At a rally for female supporters in Shiroudi stadium in Tehran on Tuesday he told the crowd that he strongly opposed gender segregation in the society or at universities.

“We won’t accept gender discrimination, we won’t accept gender oppression … we want social and political freedom,” he said amid occasional eruptions of chants in support of opposition leaders under house arrest, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi.

The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, weighed in on Wednesday, urging everyone to preserve the security of the country, saying that “anyone who deviates from this path should certainly know that they will be given a slap in the face”.

The ayatollah also warned against “a sedition”, using the same term deployed against the opposition Green movement after the disputed 2009 election.

Sadeq Zibakalam, a professor at Tehran University, said that Rouhani’s change of tone was retaliation after Ghalibaf and Raisi mounted “unethical” attacks on him during TV debates. Rouhani was also reacting to many state-backed groups throwing their weight behind Raisi, Zibakalam said.

“The establishment’s favourite candidate is Mr Raisi,” Zibakalam told the Guardian by phone from Tehran. “Clergies, state television, Friday imam prayers, basij [voluntary] militia and the Revolutionary Guards are all supporting Raisi.” 



Zibakalam said it was unlikely that Raisi, who until recently was being touted as a frontrunner to succeed the country’s supreme leader, would drop out in favour of Ghalibaf, the other conservative candidate. He rejected a theory suggesting Raisi might drop out at the last minute just in time to raise his profile for a possible succession in future, saying: “Raisi is running to become president.” Critics say a defeat would scupper his chances of a possible succession.

“Rouhani faces a tough race ahead, but in contrast to all the institutions backing Raisi, there exist those who had decided to boycott. Gradually we’re seeing them coming in support of Rouhani. A wave of such voters is gradually emerging.” 



Nasser Hadian, a political expert based in Tehran, said the election mood was heating up. “A bigger participation would make it easier for Rouhani to win,” he said. “The president is mainly alluding to those who haven’t made up their mind whether to vote or not.” 



Rouhani has attacked the Revolutionary Guards twice in a course of one week. He accused the elite forces on Friday of attempting to derail the nuclear agreement. On Tuesday, he attacked them again for criticising him over a mine explosion in northern Iran. All candidates will take part in a final live TV debate on Friday.

Hadian said Ghalibaf and Raisi both were likely to remain in the race but if Ghalibaf pulled out in favour of Raisi, then Rouhani would benefit because not all Ghalibaf supporters backed a traditional hardliner. “I think if any of those two would step aside, that would be Raisi. He’ll save his face and his vote could go towards Ghalibaf.”

Ghalibaf and Raisi were busy campaigning this week. In Tehran, Ghalibaf fans, holding flags emblazoned with “96%”, shouted at a rally: “Handsome blond man, you are our president”. Ghalibaf has been promoting the idea that he stands for the 96%, saying he opposes the top 4% wealthiest in the society. In Kerman, south of Iran, Raisi was also greeted by a packed stadium shouting “Heidar, heidar” – the Arabic for lion.</s>President Hassan Rouhani cast his hardline clerical opponents as power-hungry pawns of Iran's security forces on Friday, in a blistering final TV debate a week before an election.

Rouhani, first elected in a landslide four years ago on a promise to reduce Iran's international isolation, is trying to hold on to office by firing up reformist voters disillusioned by a stalled economy and the slow pace of social reform.

Although he has long cast himself as an insider and pragmatist rather than a gung-ho reformer, he seems to have shed that moderate image in recent days, seeking to energise voters who want less confrontation abroad and more freedom at home.

In three hours of blazing exchanges with his rivals, he took on targets once seen as all but untouchable, including the judicial establishment and the Revolutionary Guards, the elite military force that controls much of Iran's economy.

"Mr. Raisi, you can slander me as much you wish. As a judge of the clerical court, you can even issue an arrest order. But please don't abuse religion for power," Rouhani said at one point to his main hardline rival, Ebrahim Raisi, a judicial official and protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"Some security and revolutionary groups are busing people to your campaign rallies ... Who finances them?" said Rouhani at another point.

He cast his other main rival, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a former Guards commander and police chief, as a thug who had boasted of personally taking on young demonstrators.

"You wanted to beat up students," Rouhani said.

The two main rivals mostly hammered Rouhani's record on the economy, arguing that jobs have been lost and prices have risen despite the 2015 agreement Rouhani reached with global powers to lift sanctions in return for curbing Iran's nuclear programme.

 

 Raisi said 250,000 small businesses had shut and cash payments to the poor should be raised: "Unemployment is high. People's purchasing power has dropped dramatically," he said.

But even on the economy, Rouhani responded with a thinly-veiled swipe at the Revolutionary Guards: "If we want a better economy, we should not let groups with security and political backing to get involved in the economy," he said.

Although Iran's political system puts ultimate power in the hands of the unelected supreme leader and all candidates are vetted by a hardline watchdog body, elections are nevertheless hard-fought contests that can bring dramatic change.

Normally measured in his public speeches, Rouhani has become increasingly forceful in recent days, giving voice to the grievances of reformers who say they have been oppressed since the 1979 Islamic Revolution by security forces like the Guards.

"I am surprised. Those of you who talk about freedom of speech these days... (you are) those who cut out tongues and sewed mouths shut," he told a rally on Monday in a barely disguised attack on Raisi, who was one of four judges that ordered mass executions of political prisoners in the 1980s.

Rouhani's biggest worry is that some of the voters who carried him to a single-round victory in 2013 will stay home, disillusioned that the lifting of sanctions has brought few 

 economic benefits and the pace of social change has been slow.

"Rouhani is trying to reach out to voters who guaranteed his election four years ago by hoping to have a freer Iran," said a former official close to Rouhani's government.

The message appears to be getting through, with Rouhani's rallies attracting chants of reformist slogans. Voters who had grown cool say they are now taking the election seriously.

"I wanted to boycott this election because I am so disappointed with Rouhani's failure to bring more freedom to Iran," said teacher Reza Mirsadegh in the central city of Yazd.

"But I have changed my mind. I will vote for Rouhani to prevent Raisi's win."

Rouhani's 2015 deal to lift sanctions won the official backing of Khamenei, but the leader and his hardline loyalists have since criticised its failure to boost the economy.

Benefits have been slow to arrive, in part because of unilateral U.S. sanctions still in place over Iran's missile programme, human rights record and Washington's accusations that Tehran supports terrorism.

"Dear people of Iran, vote for freedom ... I am ready to get the remaining sanctions lifted if elected," Rouhani said. Lifting the remaining sanctions would be difficult, as Khamenei, who has the last say on all state matters, has flatly rejected normalisation of ties with the United States. The Guards, their affiliated volunteer Basij militia and many 

 Friday prayer leaders have thrown their support behind Raisi, a veteran jurist whose name has also been mentioned as a future supreme leader.

Qalibaf, a chisel-jawed former Guards commander, lacks Raisi's backing from the clerical establishment but also has millions of supporters for a hardline message on security and a populist economic platform.

If no candidate wins 50 percent of the vote on May 19, a second round run-off would be held a week later. Qalibaf has made a run-off more likely by resisting calls from other hardliners to step aside.</s>ANKARA, May 12 (Reuters) - President Hassan Rouhani will defend his efforts to open up Iran to the world on Friday in a final televised debate against the hardline challengers who aim to topple him in an increasingly acrimonious election next week.

Rouhani, swept into office in a landslide four years ago on promises to reduce Iran's international isolation, is seeking a second term after negotiating an agreement with world powers to curb Iran's nuclear programme in return for lifting sanctions.

Normally measured in his public speeches, he has taken the gloves off in recent days, accusing his opponents of human rights abuses and openly voicing the grievances of reformers who say they have been oppressed since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

"I am surprised. Those of you who talk about freedom of speech these days... (you are) those who cut out tongues and sewed mouths shut," Rouhani told a rally on Monday in a thinly-veiled attack on Raisi, a former jurist involved in mass executions of political prisoners in the 1980s.

"Our people want political and social freedom ... In the election they will not vote for those who knew only executions and prison for 38 years," Rouhani said in a rally on Tuesday.

He faces five challengers, led by two prominent hardline frontrunners who say he has sold Iran's interests too cheaply to the West and allowed the economy to decay through mismanagement. The first round is on May 19, with a run-off a week later if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote.

Although Iran's political system puts ultimate power in the hands of an unelected supreme leader, and all candidates are vetted by the conservative clergy, elections are nevertheless hard-fought contests that can bring dramatic change.

In two earlier, bruising debates, the main challengers, cleric Ebrahim Raisi and Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, tore into Rouhani's economic record, arguing that he failed to bring Iranians a better life despite the lifting of sanctions.

Rouhani's biggest worry is that some of the voters who carried him to a single-round victory in 2013 will stay home, disillusioned that the lifting of sanctions has brought few economic benefits and the pace of social change has been slow.

"Rouhani is trying to reach out to voters who guaranteed his election four years ago by hoping to have a freer Iran," said a former official close to Rouhani's government.

Rouhani's deal to lift sanctions won the cautious backing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but Khamenei and his hardline loyalists criticise its failure to boost the economy. Benefits have been slow to arrive, in part because of unilateral U.S. sanctions still in place over Iran's missile programme, human rights record and allegations it supports terrorism.

Although Rouhani won more than three times as many votes as his closest challenger four years ago, he only narrowly avoided a second round with just over half the total votes. If he sheds just a bit of that support now, he could face a dangerous second round against a single opponent who unites the hardline faction. "I wanted to boycott this election because I am so disappointed with Rouhani's failure to bring more freedom to Iran," said teacher Reza Mirsadegh in the central city of Yazd.

"But I have changed my mind. I will vote for Rouhani to prevent Raisi's win."

Iran's ultimate authority Khamenei has warned the public against protests like those that broke out after the disputed election of 2009, when reformers disputed the victory of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"Those who deviate from this path will be slapped in the face," Khamenei said in a televised speech on Wednesday.

The powerful Revolutionary Guards force, its affiliated volunteer Basij militia and many Friday prayer leaders have thrown their support behind Raisi, a veteran jurist whose name has also been mentioned as a future supreme leader.

Qalibaf, a charismatic former Guards commander, lacks Raisi's backing from the clerical establishment but also has millions of supporters for a hardline message on security and a populist economic platform. He has made a run-off more likely by resisting calls from other hardliners to step aside.

Rouhani, meanwhile, has crossed traditional red lines in his rallies by openly criticising the security forces, trying to fire the enthusiasm of reformist voters.

"Those who over the past years only imposed bans ... please don´t even breathe the word freedom for it shames freedom," Rouhani said in a rally in the city of Hamedan. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; editing by Peter Graff)</s>Tehran - Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani vowed Friday to continue rebuilding ties with the world and get rid of remaining sanctions during a fiery final debate a week ahead of the election.

Rouhani, who is seeking a second four-year term next Friday, said Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers had ended many sanctions and brought a windfall from renewed oil sales over the past year that could now be invested.

“We want to allocate $15 billion for investments... and $3-5 billion for supporting the poor and needy,” said Rouhani. But he went further in his closing statement, vowing for the first time to target the remaining US sanctions that are still hampering trade deals and preventing foreign money from entering Iran.

“I will engage myself in lifting all the non-nuclear sanctions during the coming four years and bring back the grandeur of Iran and the Iranian people,” he said. Removing more sanctions will be a tall order given the current stance of US President Donald Trump, who has harshly criticised the nuclear deal and vowed to take a tougher line on Iran. Rouhani faced bruising attacks throughout the debate from his conservative opponents, who say his policies have done little to help the poor.

“The country is facing an economic crisis, with unemployment, recession and inflation,” said hardline Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who repeatedly returned to his theme that Rouhani’s administration had benefited only the “four percenters” at the top of society. “A tree that has not born any fruit in four years will not yield anything positive in the future,” said Ghalibaf.

Much of the final debate consisted of tit-for-tat corruption allegations. The conservatives accused Rouhani, his family and his associates of financial and property-related graft.

The president hit back with his own allegations against the Tehran mayor from a time when he was head of security. “In 2005, I had a dossier on you in my hands and I blocked its publication. If I had let it be published at the time, you would not be sat here today,” said Rouhani. A politically moderate cleric who is seen as the best option for liberalising reformists, Rouhani has been on the offensive all week, framing the vote as a choice between greater social freedoms and repression. But the final debate was themed around the economy, where continued stagnation and high unemployment have given plenty of ammunition to his conservative opponents.

Cleric and jurist Ebrahim Raisi is seen as the leading conservative, though still a distant second to Rouhani in unofficial polls. He kept up his efforts to reach out to poor and religiously conservative voters. “The people expect government members to fear God,” said Raisi, who runs the Imam Reza shrine in the holy city of Mashhad.

“Poverty has increased with this government from 23 percent to 33 percent. We must increase direct aid to the poor,” he added, accusing Rouhani’s government of only boosting subsidies at the last minute to grab votes. “Why did you wait for the election campaign to increase aid? Why didn’t you do it four years ago? The people are intelligent and they will decide.”–AFP</s>ANKARA, May 12 (Reuters) - President Hassan Rouhani defended his efforts to improve Iran's economy and hit out at his hardline opponents in a final televised debate on Friday against challengers who aim to topple him in an increasingly acrimonious election next week.

Rouhani, swept into office in a landslide four years ago on promises to reduce Iran's international isolation, is seeking a second term after negotiating an agreement with world powers to curb Iran's nuclear programme in return for lifting sanctions.

"If we want a better economy, we should not let groups with security and political backing to get involved in the economy," Rouhani said during the debate, in an unmistakable swipe at the Revolutionary Guards Corps, an elite military force with a vast business empire, which has backed his main hardline opponent Ebrahim Raisi.

Normally measured in his public speeches, Rouhani has become increasingly forceful in recent days, giving voice to the grievances of reformers who say they have been oppressed since the 1979 Islamic Revolution by security forces like the Guards.

"I am surprised. Those of you who talk about freedom of speech these days... (you are) those who cut out tongues and sewed mouths shut," Rouhani told a rally on Monday in a thinly-veiled attack on Raisi, a former jurist involved in mass executions of political prisoners in the 1980s.

"Our people want political and social freedom ... In the election they will not vote for those who knew only executions and prison for 38 years," Rouhani said in a rally on Tuesday.

He faces five challengers, led by two hardliners, cleric Raisi and Tehran Mayor Mohammed Beqar Qalibaf, who both say Rouhani has sold Iran's interests too cheaply to the West and allowed the economy to decay through mismanagement. The first round is on May 19, with a run-off a week later if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote.

Although Iran's political system puts ultimate power in the hands of an unelected supreme leader, and all candidates are vetted by a hardline watchdog body, elections are nevertheless hard-fought contests that can bring dramatic change.

As in two earlier, bruising debates, the main challengers tore into Rouhani's economic record, arguing that he failed to bring Iranians a better life despite the lifting of sanctions.

Raisi described a litany of poor economic performance under Rouhani, saying 250,000 small businesses had shut and cash payments to the poor should be raised: "Unemployment is high. People's purchasing power has dropped dramatically," he said.

Rouhani's biggest worry is that some of the voters who carried him to a single-round victory in 2013 will stay home, disillusioned that the lifting of sanctions has brought few economic benefits and the pace of social change has been slow.

"Rouhani is trying to reach out to voters who guaranteed his election four years ago by hoping to have a freer Iran," said a former official close to Rouhani's government.

Rouhani's deal to lift sanctions won the cautious backing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but Khamenei and his hardline loyalists criticise its failure to boost the economy.

Benefits have been slow to arrive, in part because of unilateral U.S. sanctions still in place over Iran's missile programme, human rights record and allegations it supports terrorism.

Rouhani's allies say the hardliners oppose deeper change and exposure to international competition in part because of the economic interests of the Guards, which gained control of swathes of Iran's industry during its years of isolation.

Although Rouhani won more than three times as many votes as his closest challenger four years ago, he only narrowly avoided a second round with just over half the total votes. If he sheds just a bit of that support now, he could face a dangerous second round against a single opponent who unites the hardline faction. "I wanted to boycott this election because I am so disappointed with Rouhani's failure to bring more freedom to Iran," said teacher Reza Mirsadegh in the central city of Yazd.

"But I have changed my mind. I will vote for Rouhani to prevent Raisi's win."

Iran's ultimate authority Khamenei has warned the public against protests like those that broke out after the disputed election of 2009, when reformers disputed the victory of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"Those who deviate from this path will be slapped in the face," Khamenei said in a televised speech on Wednesday.

The Guards, their affiliated volunteer Basij militia and many Friday prayer leaders have thrown their support behind Raisi, a veteran jurist whose name has also been mentioned as a future supreme leader.

Qalibaf, a chisel-jawed former Guards commander, lacks Raisi's backing from the clerical establishment but also has millions of supporters for a hardline message on security and a populist economic platform. He has made a run-off more likely by resisting calls from other hardliners to step aside.

Rouhani, meanwhile, has crossed traditional red lines in his rallies by openly criticising the security forces and judiciary, trying to fire the enthusiasm of reformist voters.

"Those who over the past years only imposed bans ... please don´t even breathe the word freedom for it shames freedom," Rouhani said in a rally in the city of Hamedan. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; editing by Peter Graff)</s>Alwaght- Six candidates racing for the Iranian presidency have faced off in the third and final round of nationally televised debates on Friday evening, days before the election.

During the debate on Friday aired live across the nation by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) and globally by Press TV, the contestants elaborated on their economic plans and agendas as they campaign for the May 19 vote.

In one of most-watched programs in IRIB’s history, the debate today revolved around economic issues while the last two debates focused on socio-cultural and political subjects.

All the candidates were allocated equal airtime to expound on their plans to deal with the country’s major economic problems after taking the office.

Three of the candidates categorized as “reformists” include President Hassan Rouhani, First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri, and Mostafa Hashemitaba.

The other three, known for belonging to the “principlist” political faction, include Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, the chief custodian of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and Mostafa Aqa-Mirsalim.

Overall, each of the candidates have been allocated over 1,100 minutes to talk about their campaign pledges in various radio and television programs aired by IRIB.

During the previous polls in June 2013, Rouhani garnered 50.7 percent of a total of over 36 million votes. Authorities say the number of eligible voters stands at more than 56,400,000. According to an opinion poll by IRIB Research Centre, some 70.6 percent of the Iranians eligible to vote in Iran’s upcoming presidential election are expected to turn out at polling stations on election day.

Some 63.5 percent of respondents to the poll) said they “will participate” in the presidential election — due on May 19 — and another 7.1 percent said they “will probably participate” in the polls.

Iranians residing abroad can also vote in more than 140 countries at places designated by Iranian diplomatic missions.</s>A leading figure of Iran’s minority Sunnis endorsed moderate President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday ahead of this week’s election, despite the government’s “shortcomings”.

Sunnis make up around five to 10 per cent of Iran’s 80 million population, which is overwhelmingly from the Shiite sect of Islam.

Religious leader Molavi Abdol Hamid said “the atmosphere for Sunnis has been a little more relaxed” since Rouhani took power in 2013, and that most would support him in Friday’s election.

Abdol Hamid repeated calls for greater Sunni representation in local and national government, and more action on discrimination.

“The Sunni community believes that this government, despite its problems and weaknesses, has had more strong points, and we hope if the current government takes office again, it will do more to resolve those problems and shortcomings,” he said in comments carried by his website.

He was speaking in Sistan Baluchistan province, a Sunni-majority region in southeastern Iran bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Rouhani is leading in official polls, but faces a tough fight for re-election against conservative rivals who accuse him of failing to boost the struggling economy.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now</s>Rivals of President Hassan Rouhani in the May 19 poll have renewed accusations of corruption and mismanagement against him during the last of three televised debates.

In Friday's debate, Tehran's mayor and presidential candidate Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said that Rouhani and candidate Eshaq Jahangiri received "highly subsidized" properties from the government.

Qalibaf added that Rouhani's administration had facilitated large loans to "particular individuals" through state-run banks while average citizens still struggle to secure small loans.

Hard-line candidate Ebrahim Raisi also accused Rouhani of blocking a corruption probe against his relatives.

Iran's upcoming election is largely a referendum on Rouhani, following Iran's landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Average Iranians have yet to sense the economic benefits of the deal, making Rouhani vulnerable in his bid for another four-year term.</s>Iran's president and five other contenders face off in the final TV debate ahead of next week's election.

The six candidates competing in Iran's presidential election have squared off in their third and final televised debate, with President Hassan Rouhani lashing out at his hardline opponents and vowing to get rid of the remaining sanctions following 2015's nuclear deal.

During the fiery event, Rouhani, who is seeking a second four-year term on May 19, said the historic agreement with world powers had ended many sanctions and brought a windfall from renewed oil sales over the past year that could now be invested.

"We want to allocate $15bn for investments ... and $3-5bn for supporting the poor and needy," said Rouhani.

But he went further in his closing statement, vowing for the first time to target the remaining US sanctions that are still hampering trade deals and preventing foreign money from entering Iran.

"I will engage myself in lifting all the non-nuclear sanctions during the coming four years and bring back the grandeur of Iran and the Iranian people," he said.

Rouhani was first elected in a landslide four years ago on a promise to reduce Iran's international isolation.

In 2015, he negotiated the agreement with world powers to curb Iran's nuclear programme in return for lifting sanctions.

He is now trying to hold on to office by firing up reformist voters disillusioned by a stalled economy and the slow pace of social reform.

"If we want a better economy, we should not let groups with security and political backing to get involved in the economy," Rouhani said in an swipe at the Revolutionary Guards Corps, an elite military force with a vast business empire, which has backed his main Principlist opponent Ebrahim Raisi.

The focus of the final debate was on the economy as the candidates, who are all male, outlined their vision for Iran's future.

As in the previous two, bruising debates, the main challengers tore into Rouhani's economic record, arguing that he failed to bring Iranians a better life despite the lifting of sanctions.

"Poverty has increased with this government from 23 percent to 33 percent," said Raisi, a cleric and jurist, who is seen as the leading conservative, though still a distant second to Rouhani in unofficial polls.

"We must increase direct aid to the poor," he added, accusing Rouhani's government of only boosting subsidies at the last minute to grab votes.

"Why did you wait for the election campaign to increase aid? Why didn't you do it four years ago? The people are intelligent and they will decide."

Raisi also kept up his efforts to reach out to poor and religiously conservative voters.

"The people expect government members to fear God," said Raisi, who runs the Imam Reza shrine in the holy city of Mashhad.

Rouhani said: "Mr Raisi, you can slander me as much you wish. As a judge of the clerical court, you can even issue an arrest order. But please don't abuse religion for power,"

"During these three televised debates, in the first two rounds, the Principlists actually won and the polls showed that," Mostafa Khoshcheshm, a journalist and university professor at the Fars Media Faculty, told Al Jazeera.

"But in the third one, I believe they [both camps] were equal. They were on the offensive as well as the defensive. They tried to question each other's performance, plans and agendas, but they dealt with their own plans and economic agenda for the country much less," he added.

Khoshcheshm said that Rouhani was expected to have "a difficult job" in the upcoming election.

"The poll show there is going to be a run-off, a second round. and Rouhani may not be able to secure the 50 percent plus one vote that he needs."

Rouhani's deal to lift sanctions won the cautious backing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but Khamenei and his loyalists criticise its failure to boost the economy.

Benefits have been slow to arrive, in part because of unilateral US sanctions still in place over Iran's missile programme, human rights record and allegations it supports terrorism.

Rouhani's allies say his rivals oppose deeper change and exposure to international competition in part because of the economic interests of the Guards, which gained control of swathes of Iran's industry during its years of isolation.
Candidates debate on live television with the rivals of frontrunner and current president, Hassan Rouhani, taking aim at his economic policies.