Iran's hard-line president accused his election rivals of using "Hitler" smear tactics to sway voters ahead of Friday's national vote — adding that they should face jail for insulting him.

The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his main pro-reform opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, have accused each other using Hitler-like propaganda tactics in order to win on Friday. The president's harsh allegations against his rivals, including Mousavi, during Wednesday's rally indicated that the mudslinging between the candidates was not slowing down.

The race is neck-and-neck and has displayed Iran's deep political divides. Ahmadinejad has accused Mousavi's supporters of corruption. Mousavi accuses Ahmadinejad of isolating Iran with his attacks on the United States, his combative line on Iran's nuclear policy and his questioning of the Holocaust. He has also hammered Ahmadinejad for letting Iran's economy stumble despite the nation's vast oil and gas reserves