Top Cleric Urges Gov't to Address Economic Woes

The chairman of the Assembly of Experts has called on the government to do more to address the people's livelihood problems.

"The new government should focus on improving the economy and the livelihood of people, and it needs to work harder to achieve this goal," Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said in an address to a meeting of the assembly on Tuesday, IRNA reported.

A declaration will be issued at the end of the two-day meeting on Wednesday.

The clerical body is mandated with appointing and dismissing the Leader of Islamic Revolution and monitoring his performance.

Ayatollah Jannati is also the chairman of Guardians Council, a high-ranking body in charge of supervising elections and checking candidates' qualifications.

On Thursday, the members will visit the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in southern Tehran to renew their allegiance to the late founder of the Islamic Republic.

Later, they will meet the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Conservatives are critical of the policies of President Hassan Rouhani's government and have been particularly targeting Rouhani's economic track record and his failure to fully take advantage of the 2015 nuclear deal, which is widely seen as his legacy, to improve people's living standards.

Rouhani first came to office in 2013 on a moderate platform to reduce Iran's diplomatic isolation and revitalize the domestic economy battered by years of international sanctions.

A bulk of the restrictions was eased under a landmark deal with major powers in return for temporary curbs on Tehran's nuclear work.

The conservative camp also castigates Rouhani's policy of overemphasis on opening the economy to western businesses in the wake of sanctions relief, which they believe could expose the Islamic Republic to the hostile policies of western governments.

However, Rouhani insists that a limited, cautious opening to the West holds the prospect of a potential breakthrough in reviving the economy.