Iran's top leader has called for high turnout in Friday, May 19's presidential election, urging voters to send a message to the United States, The Associated Press reports.

In a televised speech Wednesday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the United States and its allies, including the "pathetic prime minister of the Zionist regime," or Israel, are closely watching the vote.

President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate, is seeking re-election in a vote that will largely serve as a referendum on his outreach to the West, which culminated in the 2015 nuclear deal.

Khamenei, who will remain Iran's top decision-maker, is deeply suspicious of the United States. He is believed to favor Rouhani's main challenger, the hard-line candidate Ebrahim Raisi.