Iran’s supreme leader has called for “maximum” voter turnout in this week’s presidential election to “overcome the enemy”, denouncing politicians whom he described as believing that everything good comes from the United States.

While not naming any particular candidates, the comments by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to directly undercut the candidacy of the race’s sole reformist, 69-year-old heart surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian.

In recent speeches, Mr Pezeshkian has urged Iran to return to the 2015 nuclear deal and increase its outreach to the West.

“The one who has the slightest opposition to the revolution … or the Islamic system, is not useful to you,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

“The person who is attached to the US, and imagines that without the US favour it is not possible to move a step in the country, he will not be a good colleague for you.”

The comments in his hour-long speech drew repeated cries of “Death to America, death to Israel” from a raucous crowd gathered to mark the Shiite holiday of Eid al-Ghadir.

The 85-year-old Ayatollah urged the crowd to quieten down several times during his remarks.

Iran Election Glance
Presidential candidates Masoud Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Alireza Zakani, Tehran Mayor, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, and Mostafa Pourmohammadi (Vahid Salemi/AP)

Friday’s election comes after Iran’s hardline President Ebrahim Raisi, a protege of Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in a helicopter crash in May.

The Ayatollah’s call comes after a parliamentary election earlier this year saw a record low turnout.

Voters across the capital, Tehran, who have spoken with The Associated Press have expressed widespread apathy over the election as Iran faces an economy crushed by Western sanctions and after widespread anti-government protests in recent years, particularly after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and women refusing to wear the country’s mandatory headscarf, or hijab.

Mr Pezeshkian, little known to the general public before registering for the campaign, has drawn large crowds to his speeches in Tehran and other major cities.

He also has been trying to adopt symbols of previous campaigns by popular reformists, who seek to change Iran’s theocracy from inside.

His campaign slogan “For Iran”, a call to nationalism rather than religion, mirrors an earlier campaign slogan used by former reformist president Mohammad Khatami.

Mr Pezeshkian has also been photographed wearing green scarves – apparently trying to associate himself with the 2009 Green Movement protests that swept Iran after the disputed vote and bloody crackdown that saw hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected as president.

There was no immediate comment from Mr Pezeshkian on Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks.

However, they appeared timed to give his opponents ammunition for the last televised debate before the election, due to be held shortly after the Ayatollah spoke.