(CNN) -- Americans know Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his belligerence toward the United States and Israel and for clashes with international regulators over Iran's pursuit of nuclear technology. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's foreign policy has affected Iran's domestic economy. The conservative Ahmadinejad, 52, the former mayor of Tehran, was elected president in a landslide in June 2005, defeating centrist Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. A tighter race is expected in this Friday's presidential contest, which pits Ahmadinejad against self-described reformist Mir Hossein Moussavi and two other candidates. Ahmadinejad is expected by many to be re-elected. "He's pretty charming. He's a little bullheaded, but he's definitely got his charms and charisma in a strange sort of way," said Hooman Majd, an Iranian-American writer who travels to Iran several times a year.
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Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad known for hostility toward U.S., Israel
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Incumbent in tight race to win second four-year term as president
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Ahmadinejad has defied IAEA over inspections of nuclear facilities
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Some voters think less belligerent foreign policy would help economy, writer says
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