former chief nuclear negotiator hassan rohani was the first to sign up. he has seen economic sanctions hurt the country. mahmoud ahmadinejad has heard repeated criticisms from one of them, the mayor of tehran. former prime minister ali akbar velayati could draw a lot of votes and khatami and ra raf sanjani may both try to make a come back. >>> former minister of oil has called on japanese firms to benefit from business opportunities there serving as an advisor for prime minister al malaki. they plan to triple the oil production to 9 million barrels by 2020. iraq has already out-paced iran to become the world's second largest producer. >> i firmly believe there is much more room for japanese corporations whether in oil field developments, in gas development, in utilities. >> he added that demand is also expected to surge for highway and housing construction. the country's unstable security is hampering foreign investment more than 700 people were killed in iraq in april. this was the deadliest month in five years. he says the situation will improve. >>> on