Supporters of Hassan Rowhani hold his portrait during a campaign rally in Tehran yesterday.
TEHRAN: Iran’s media yesterday hailed the latest televised debate of presidential candidates, highlighting sharp exchanges among them on topics such as the nuclear issue and political freedom.
“The differences among the candidates are clear. The final sprint has begun,” said leading daily Donya-e Eqtesad about the debate on Friday. Reformist daily Arman hailed the discussions, saying they “showcased differences”.
The eight men vying for the presidency clashed in the heated exchange over nuclear talks with world powers, with pointed criticism aimed at top nuclear negotiator and hardline candidate Saeed Jalili, a frontrunner in the June 14 election.
“I would have liked to have written that the winner of last night’s debate was (moderate) Hassan Rowhani or (reformist) Mohammed Reza Aref, but I have to say (conservative) Ali Akbar Velayati was the real winner,” wrote political analyst Sadegh Zibakalam in reformist daily, Etemad.
“On the one hand, he defended the foreign policy of (ex-president Akbar) Hashemi Rafsanjani and, on the other, he openly criticised the attitude of Jalili in nuclear negotiations. Nobody can accuse Velayati of being uninformed, or linked to the West... or as not part of the conservative camp”.
Velayati, an adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had lashed out at Jalili for his handling of nuclear negotiations with world powers. “The art of diplomacy is that we save the nuclear right, while at the same time, we reduce the sanctions,” Velayati said.
Most of the candidates have reportedly asked for a fourth and final debate before the election, in what is seen as a sign of success of Friday’s televised exchanges.
AFP
