Tehran - Presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi vowed to continue the reform course of former president Mohammad Khatami if elected, the labour agency ILNA reported Tuesday.

Khatami quit the presidential race on Monday night to support former prime minister Moussavi in the June 12 election.

In a letter to Khatami, Moussavi praised his decision to withdraw and promised to continue the reform course the moderate cleric had adopted during his eight-year presidential tenure (1997-2005).

ILNA said that the full contents of Moussavi's letter to Khatami would be made public later Tuesday.

Khatami said on his website that he withdrew his candidacy "as a moral obligation for avoiding a split in the votes," and pledged his support for Moussavi.

"The aim of running in an election is winning and I sincerely believe that Moussavi has the potential to make the change and gain the people's votes," Khatami said.

Both Khatami and Moussavi are fierce opponents of Ahmadinejad. Khatami had focused his campaign on political reforms, but Moussavi has concentrated mainly on economic issues, which are seen as the president's Achilles' heel.

Although many observers consider Khatami more charismatic, Moussavi is considered to be more capable of dealing with Iran's current economic crisis, which is chief among voter concerns. (dpa)