Elect Khamenei-Aligned President: Top Adviser Safavi

A senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader has asked voters to elect a president whose views align closely with Ali Khamenei in the upcoming presidential election.

Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top military official serving as an adviser to Khamenei, told a conference on Tuesday that Iranians should choose a candidate who "considers himself the second person" to the Supreme Leader.

"The president should not create a bipolarity. If he says, 'Leader said this but I say this,' it will cause problems in the country," Safavi said.

The remarks from the influential Revolutionary Guards commander represent one of the most overt attempts by a military figure to steer the national election scheduled for later this month.

While Iran's constitution prohibits military interference in politics, the elite Revolutionary Guards have frequently been accused of swaying elections through favored candidates and voter initiatives.