Press TV- Iranian presidential hopefuls talk about economic challenges facing the country amid a heated race for the May election.      

Mostafa Aqa-Mirsalim, who is a member of the Expediency Council, said on Wednesday that economic issues were his top priority and underscored the need for focusing on resilient economy.

He said that Iran needed to rely on an economy not dependent on oil revenues.

“We will make efforts to facilitate the country’s economic growth in practice. The growth we see now is made from the oil sale, which I do not agree with at all,” he added.

He said that creating jobs was necessary but stressed that curbing economic stagnation in the short run was an urgent matter.

Meanwhile, Es’haq Jahangiri, the first vice president, said that the current Iranian administration had taken big steps towards improving conditions in the country by relying on national capacities, and said further measures needed to be taken to that effect.

Jahangiri pointed to the 2015 landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1 group of countries and said the deal had opened new opportunities for economic development.

He also described unemployment as a major challenge in the country, describing domestic production and investment in the economic sector as the only way to create jobs in the country.

Jahangiri said that the banking system and foreign resources could be employed to boost investment in the country.

Earlier this week, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, also underlined the need for relying on domestic capabilities to develop the country’s economy.


[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"] Tehran mayor and Iranian presidential candidate Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf[/caption]
Qalibaf, who was addressing a campaign in the holy city of Qom on Monday, said Iran enjoyed great economic resources and capacities, citing the country's ranking in terms of oil and gas reserves.

The Tehran mayor also blamed officials’ mismanagement for unemployment, stagnation and high cost of living in the country.

Iranians will go the polls on May 19 to elect the country’s 12th president out of six candidates.

Three other candidates are incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, former vice president and minister Mostafa Hashemi-Taba and Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, the current custodian of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH) in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.