 Iran's Guardian Council, tasked with vetting candidates, approved six hardliners, but three have since dropped out in hopes of consolidating support behind a single candidate. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bakr Khalibaf and former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili are seen as the top hardline contenders, while reform-minded voters may opt for Massoud Bezeshkian, the lone reformist in the race. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast his vote shortly after the polls opened and once again called for high turnout.