Iran's Presidential Candidates Debate

The six candidates vying to become Iran's next president face off in the first televised debate, presenting their plans on how best to revive the economy.

Iran's Guardian Council, which oversees elections and legislation, has approved six candidates to run in the election after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.

Debate focused on Iran's declining economy, with candidates laying out their visions for growth amid Western sanctions and rampant inflation.

The contenders are laying out their economic platforms, offering a range of proposals aimed at addressing high inflation, sanctions, investment, and other economic issues and challenges.

The hopefuls continue to trade barbs and criticisms, each trying to position himself as the best candidate to tackle Iran's economic woes.

On the list are Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker and former Revolutionary Guards commander, Saeed Jalili, who was former chief nuclear negotiator and ran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's office for four years and Tehran's mayor Alireza Zakani, according to State TV.

The candidates also include Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist lawmaker, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, a former interior minister, and Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, a conservative politician.

Iran will vote for a new president on June 28. The election was called after president Ebrahim Raeisi lost his life along with seven others on May 19, when a helicopter carrying them crashed into a mountainous area in northwest Iran amid foggy conditions.