TEHRAN — Iran will proceed to a run-off election after neither hardline candidate Saeed Jalili nor reformist contender Massoud Pezeshkian secured a majority in the presidential race.

Pezeshkian, slightly ahead in initial results, faces Jalili in the second round scheduled for July 5, as confirmed by Iran's interior ministry.

The election was marred by violence as two security force members were killed in an attack on a vehicle transporting election boxes in Sistan-Baluchestan province, according to state media reports.

Early results from the interior ministry showed Pezeshkian, a former health minister and heart surgeon, leading former nuclear negotiator Jalili by approximately one million votes.

Pezeshkian has advocated for a shift from strict social controls enforced by the morality police, describing their actions as "immoral," despite his loyalty to Iran's supreme leader.

The election aims to fill the vacancy left by former President Ebrahim Raisi's tragic death in a helicopter crash on May 19, which claimed several lives.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had urged for "maximum" voter participation, highlighting the significance of the election amidst internal and external challenges facing Iran. — BBC