19 May, 2017
Guardian journalist Saeed Kamali Dehghan tweeted a photograph of one of Rouhani's vandalized campaign offices. "A Rouhani campaign office in Tehran was attacked midday today, says Iranian Labour News Agency, a few days after a similar attack on one of his other offices", he wrote.
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.
Rouhani, first elected in a landslide four years ago on a promise to reduce Iran's worldwide 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.
"We want to allocate $15 billion for investments... and United States dollars 3-5 billion for supporting the poor and needy", said Rouhani.
"We possess missiles which are very precise and can hit the targets with high precision from thousands of kilometers away", he said, adding that "We will preserve this capability with all in power and will increase it powerfully".
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.
"Those who ignore the country's security will definitely be slapped in the face", Khamenei said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. His chief opponent is Ebrahim Raisi, who is a close ally of Khamenei.
The political atmosphere before this year's election on the surface seems relatively free and open, in part to ensure that many Iranians turn out to vote for a set of strictly vetted candidates.
Meanwhile, windows at a campaign office of President Hassan Rouhani were broken by vandals. "You can not prevent the progress and freedom of our youth".
"The people expect government members to fear God", he said.
The message appears to be getting through, with Rouhani's rallies attracting chants of reformist slogans. Rouhani's critics say that the sanctions lifted under the nuclear deal have done little to improve the lives of ordinary Iranians. "They will be mobilising voters not only in the rural areas but also the shantytowns around the big cities", said Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council who has done extensive research on the Guards.
Khoshcheshm said that Rouhani was expected to have "a hard job" in the upcoming election.
In 2012, Rouhani won the election in a landslide, but barely enough to avoid a runoff vote.
"But I have changed my mind".
"The IRGC will be running buses and mini-buses to make people vote". 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 has made a run-off more likely by resisting calls from other hardliners to step aside.
