TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's raucous election campaign fell silent a day before the vote as rallies were barred Thursday to give the public time to reflect on whether they want to keep hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power or replace him with a reformist more open to closer ties with the West. The campaign reached a crescendo in the past few days with dueling rallies by supporters of Ahmadinejad and his main challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, that drew tens of thousands into the streets of Tehran.
The stakes are extremely high for Iran -- the new leader must decide how to respond to President Barack Obama's offer for dialogue after a nearly 30-year diplomatic chill. The Obama administration is cautiously watching the vote for signs the Islamic Republic may be willing to engage, but U.S. officials have meager expectations for change. (25 images)
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Iranians pour on to the street for electoral street rallies in Tehran on Monday, June 8. "Bye, Bye Ahmadi!" cried young men and women, most of them dressed in green -- Mousavi's campaign colour -- and carrying a thin green string as they formed a chain stretching the entire length of the 11 mile-long Valiasr Street. AFP / Getty Images / Arash Khamooshi
Young supporters of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, seen reflected in a wall mirror being transported down the street in a wheelbarrow, cruise down Valiasr street on motorcycles in celebratory mood in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 8. At a massive pro-Mousavi street rally in Tehran, supporters decked out in green ribbons, bandanas, and headscarfs lined one of the main streets in Tehran, creating a human chain in some parts by holding hands and tying green ribbons together. AP / Ben Curtis
Women supporters of reformist candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi chant pro reform slogans at the Heidarnia stadium as the supporters of hard line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wave Iranian flag in the background in the final days of the election race in Tehran, Tuesday, June 9. AP / Kamran Jebreili
Supporters of hard line Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leave the Musalla after they attended a rally in Tehran, Monday, June 8. A rare poll of Iranians says that few of them have favorable opinions of the United States, a view that has not changed much from before the election of President Barack Obama. AP / Kamran Jebreili
A supporter of main challenger and reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, not wanting to be photographed, hides her face using a poster of him as she waits in the stands at an election rally at the Heidarnia stadium in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 9. AP / Ben Curtis
Thousands of supporters of hard line Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attend a rally at Musalla in Tehran, Sunday, June 7. Ahmadinejad has traded recriminations and insults with his political rival, that has broken political taboos in Iran, reflecting the huge stakes in upcoming Friday's vote. AP / Kamran Jebreili
Iranian men drag a cart as they walk past vehicles and motorcycles at a crossroad in downtown Tehran on June 9. The next president of Iran, where an election will take place on June 12, will take power at a defining moment for the Islamic republic's foreign policy with diplomatic overtures from US President Barack Obama offering a chance to turn the page. AFP / Getty Images / Behrouz Mehri
A supporter of Iranian hardline presidential candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad holds his portrait during a street rally in downtown Tehran on June 8. Four candidates are in the race for the presidency, including Ahmadinejad, who is seeking a second four-year term. AFP / Getty Images / Behrouz Mehri
Iranian supporters of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (portrait) wave national flags during an electoral campaign rally in Tehran on June 8. Iran expects a record number of voters to cast their ballots in this week's presidential election, according to the head of the country's electoral committee. Four candidates are in the race for the presidency, including Ahmadinejad, who is seeking a second four-year term. AFP / Getty Images / Atta Kenare
Female supporters of Iranian reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, with green ribbons around their wrists, hold up a poster bearing his portrait and a green balloon during a pro-reform electoral campaign rally at Badr stadium in southern Tehran on June 8. The former premier has emerged as his main rival of incumbent hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 presidential election. Green, associated in Iran with descendants of the Prophet Mohammad, has been chosen as the campaign color of the moderate candidate, who was the Islamic republic's prime minister during the war with Iraq in the 80's. AFP / Getty Images / Behrouz Mehri
Iranian reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi (C) waves to his supporters, all wearing green ribbons around their wrists, during a pro-reform electoral campaign rally at Badr stadium in southern Tehran on June 8. AFP / Getty Images / Behrouz Mehri
A supporter of main challenger and reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, wearing a mask of him, flashes the victory sign amongst the crowds at a night-time street rally just days before the elections, in the Sadatabad district of northern Tehran, Iran, in the early hours of Tuesday, June 9. With Farsi hip-hop and techno music blaring from car speakers and young men and women dancing in the streets, election fever in Tehran is more like a party than a protest but the festive atmosphere of these nightly street rallies have a serious undertone. AP / Ben Curtis
A female supporter of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad displays her hand painted with the Iranian flag, also used as a sign for his party, at his final election campaign rally, on Azadi street in western Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, June 10. AP / Ben Curtis
Supporters of reformist candidate for the Iranian presidential elections Mir Hossein Mousavi chant slogans to support their candidate during the final rally on Azadi, freedom square in west Tehran, Wednesday, June 10. AP / Kamran Jebreili
Former Iranian premier and reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi waves to his supporters inside a bus leaving the state TV after a televised campaign speech early on June 10. A soft-spoken man, Mousavi is remembered for his efficient handling of the economy during the eight-year war with Iraq's Saddam Hussein in the 1980s. The conflict erupted at a time when the revolution that ousted the Shah was still in its infancy.AFP / Getty Images / Behrouz Mehri
Supporters of presidential candidate for Iran, Mir Hossein Mousavi, gather during a campaign rally at Haydarniya Stadium on June 9, in Tehran, Iran. On friday Mousavi will stand as a challenger to current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 election, as Ahmadinejad seeks to secure a second term in office. Getty Images / Majid
A wheelchair-bound supporter of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is lifted above the crowd at his final election campaign rally, on Azadi street in western Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, June 10. AP / Ben Curtis
A supporter of main challenger and reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, holding posters of him, shouts from the crowd amidst a festive atmosphere at an election rally at the Heidarnia stadium in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 9. AP / Ben Curtis
Fatemeh Taherian, 21, a supporter of main challenger and reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, looks out over gridlocked traffic caused by thousands cruising the night-time streets amidst a party atmosphere just days before the elections, in the Sadatabad district of northern Tehran, Iran, in the early hours of Tuesday, June 9. AP / Ben Curtis
People watch a recorded broadcast by Iranian hard line president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Vali e Asr street in downtown, Tehran, Sunday, June 7. Iranian media says the main challenger to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is warning that Ahmadinejad may be trying to incriminate his supporters ahead of Friday's presidential election. AP / Kamran Jebreili
Supporters of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi , wearing green wristbands, rally in downtown Tehran, Sunday, June 7. AP / Kamran Jebreili
A supporter of the hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, holds his poster, as he challenges with supporters of the leading reformist candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, during a street rally in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 8. AP / Vahid Salemi
Mehrali Zulnoorian, 58, a supporter of reformist candidate, Mir Hussein Mousavi fixes a poster of him on a car boot in Tehran, Monday, June 8. AP / Kamran Jebreili
Leading reformist Iranian presidential candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, right, greets supporters, at the conclusion of a campaign gathering in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 8. Mousavi is leading reformist challenger to the hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the Iranian presidential race on June 12. AP / Vahid Salemi
Five days ahead of Iran's presidential election on June 12, an Iranian woman and a supporter of reformist candidate, Mir Housein Mousavi distributes flyers at the great Bazar in downtown Tehran, Sunday, June 7. AP / Kamran Jebreili
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