Three hopefuls quit Iran presidential race: Update

Adds third candidate to drop out of election race

Mohsen Mehralizadeh, the only reformist candidate approved to participate in this week's Iranian presidential election, has withdrawn from the race leaving former central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati as the sole non-conservative on the ballot.

Two more candidates, both conservatives — former member of parliament Alireza Zakani and former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili — also dropped out today, both throwing their weight behind the strong favourite, chief justice Ebrahim Raisi.

Mehralizadeh, who served as vice-president during former president Mohammad Khatami's second term in 2001-5, was the first to announce his withdrawal in a letter to the ministry of interior in the early hours of today. He did not explicitly say why he pulled out, but his move came one day after Hadi Khamenei — a prominent reformist cleric and brother of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — called on either Mehralizadeh or Hemmati to drop out of the race in support of the other.

"I ask you… to form an alliance with each other, so that with the presence of one of you in the competition, you can sow the seeds of hope in the hearts of the supporters more than before," Khamenei said.

Mehralizadeh has yet to publicly back Hemmati. But the former central bank governor has been making a late push to win over voters ahead of the 18 June election by announcing that he will invite foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to serve in his cabinet either as vice-president or foreign minister.

"Iran's economic development will not be possible without strong diplomatic engagement with the international community," Hemmati said. "My administration will be after the removal of sanctions and the use of foreign policy to achieve political development."

Hemmati also secured an indirect endorsement from former president and reformist heavyweight Mohammad Khatami today in an open letter commending Mehralizadeh for dropping out so that the reformist and centrist votes would not be split.

But with just two days until voting begins and with continued signs of bias within the political establishment towards Raisi, the presidency still appears to be his to lose. The latest polls from state-linked Iranian Students Polling Agency (ISPA) show Raisi with 61pc of the vote, well ahead of his closest challenger Mohsen Rezaei, another conservative, with 8pc.

The moves by Zakani and Jalili to drop out will also strengthen Raisi's chances, particularly after he secured their public endorsements. As of 14 June, Zakani was being projected to win around 3pc of the vote, and Jalili 3.5pc.

"Considering the great success of Ayatollah Raisi, I consider him to be righteous and I will vote for him," Zakani said. "I hope that with his election, fundamental reforms will be implemented in the country."

Jalili, meanwhile, called on his supporters "to confirm their efforts… and complete the path to the future government" by voting for the front-runner.

The last of the five original conservative hopefuls, first deputy speaker of parliament Amir-Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi, has in recent days repeatedly dismissed the idea that he, too, could withdraw from the race. But in comments today he acknowledged that it was still a possibility.

"Friends have expressed their opinion, and I have to see if I have a reason to step down or not," he said.

Campaigning began on 28 May and will continue until 24 hours before the start of voting on 18 June. If no candidate secures at least 50.1pc of the vote, the two highest polling candidates will compete in a runoff on 25 June.

By Nader Itayim