In pictures: Presidential election kicks off in Iran

Iran opened polls on Friday for presidential election following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month.

The reformists rallied behind Masoud Pezeshkian's candidacy.

Former Iranian presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani cast their votes early Friday.

Within minutes of polling stations opening, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urged widespread participation.

The contenders are Saeed Jalili, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Mostafa Pourmohammadi from the fundamentalist faction, while Masoud Pezeshkian represents the reformist movement.

Two candidates, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi and Alireza Zakani, withdrew from the race to consolidate fundamentalist support.

Despite expectations, neither Ghalibaf nor Jalili stepped down in favour of the other.