Iran’s parliament began debating on Monday the 18-member cabinet proposed by President Sheikh Hasan Rouhani ahead of a vote of confidence later in the week.

Iran's parliament began debating on Monday the 18-member cabinet proposed by President Sheikh Hasan Rouhani ahead of a vote of confidence later in the week.

Addressing lawmakers at the start of the session, Rouhani said his priority in office was to tackle the country's economic crisis, as well as its nuclear program.

Rouhani unveiled his cabinet of technocrats on August 4 but his nominations must be confirmed by the parliament in a process that has several stages.

The new president must first present his program and defend his choice of ministers to parliament, after which five MPs will defend the government and five others challenge it.

After this supporters and opponents of each minister will speak before the vote of confidence on Wednesday, which will be for every minister individually rather than the cabinet as a whole.

In his address to parliament on Monday, Rouhani laid stress on Iran's economy saying: "We all know that our country is in a difficult social and economic situation, and international pressure has aggravated these problems."

The sanctions are aimed at "limiting or closing the country's channels of exchange with the outside," he said, denouncing "the method used by Western countries... who have taken society's elementary needs hostage" to put pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear program.

He added that "in the field of diplomacy, the government was going to try to tackle this international challenge while defending the nation's will" to hold on to its nuclear rights.