Ahmadinejad supports former deputy in Iran election

Former hardline Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday he would support a long-time ally in May's presidential election.

In his first press conference for four years, Ahmadinejad said he will back Hamid Baghaie, his former vice president who headed the tourism board.

"I have no plans to present myself. I support Mr Baghaie as the best candidate," said Ahmadinejad.

Baghaie was imprisoned for seven months in 2015 for reasons that were never made public.

Ahmadinejad last year ruled out a comeback of his own after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei indicated it could have a polarising effect on the nation.

Meanwhile, Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Wednesday he would not stand for the presidency.

He had been considered one of the leading options for mainstream conservatives, and had run twice before.

"I think all those who want to save this country from the economic and social crises must unite," said Ghalibaf.

Conservatives are trying to rally around a single figure in a bid to focus their attack on President Hassan Rouhani, who has succeeded in uniting moderates and reformists.

Some 3,000 conservative officials are due to meet on Thursday to decide on a shortlist of five candidates.

Ahmadinejad has long stood outside the mainstream conservative grouping in Iran.

His two terms as president between 2005 and 2013 saw Iran increasingly isolated internationally, divided domestically and struggling economically, and his contested re-election in 2009 triggered the largest protests since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Candidates must formally register between April 11 and 15, after which they are vetted by the Guardian Council, with a final list announced on April 27.

The election will be held on May 19.