Qalibaf earlier on Monday said he came to the decision to pull out of the race in favor of Raisi as part of efforts against President Rouhani's "inefficient and impotent" cabinet.
Raisi himself called Qalibaf's decision "revolutionary", according to conservative news agency Tasnim.
"I ask all my supporters in the country to support the success of our great brother Hojatoleslam Seyed Ebrahim Raisi", Qalibaf stated in a letter published in social media.
A senior member of Qalibaf's team said he practically proved that achieving power per se is not what really matters for a "revolutionary", but the goal is supporting the needy and the unemployed frustrated with the administration that has achieved "almost nothing" over the past four years.
Moreover, the benefits of the nuclear deal and the partial lifting of sanctions have not reached the most secluded regions of the country.
Iran's elections are similar to the French system in which a second round run-off is held between the top two candidates unless one wins 50 per cent or more in the first round.
After the wildcard candidacy of hardline ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was on April 20 struck down by Iran's Guardian Council, analysts had anticipated a clear head to head between centrist incumbent Hassan Rouhani and religious judge Ebrahim Raisi, seen by some analysts as odds-on favourite to succeed 77-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and as someone capable of galvanising conservatives.
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Raisi faces having to reach out to a wider conservative base in the next few days, Bassiri Tabrizi added, but noted that things are "definitely more hard for Rouhani now".
Mr Raisi, is now the head of the powerful Imam Reza shrine and charitable foundation in the holy city of Mashhad and, in addition to attracting support from traditional conservatives, is seen as the favoured candidate of the security establishment.
"It was easy to confront Qalibaf because of his debate performance and past experiences, but it's more hard for them to confront Raisi as he's really a newcomer to the political scene", Izadi said. That is not to say, however, that all of Qalibaf's supporters will automatically vote for Raisi.
Raisi's popularity has risen steadily in recent weeks and Qalibaf's move should give him a last-minute boost against Rouhani, who has eased Iran's worldwide isolation though failed to spur a sluggish economy.
"I am also very thankful", Raisi replied to the crowd.
There are five candidates remaining following Qalibaf's withdrawal, including Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri, who supports Rouhani and whose candidacy has been aimed at uniting forces behind him, and fellow reformer Mostafa Hashemi-Taba, a former industry minister.
Summary⎙ Print At a campaign rally, President Hassan Rouhani said Iranian officials are ready to negotiate with the United States on non-nuclear issues. Moreover, Rouhani is a moderate, not a reformist like Mir Hussein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, both of whom were candidates in 2009 and are still under house arrest. "It's the Tehran vote that Rouhani has got to get out and Raisi running will help him do that".
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