Israeli Diplomat Expects Middle East Tensions To Rise With Raisi As Iran's President

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th June, 2021) A rise in tensions in the Persian Gulf and the broader middle East is to be expected following the election of "ultraconservative" Ebrahim Raisi as Iran's new president, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi told Sputnik in an interview.

"I think that the situation will be more tense, because the new president of Iran is, firstly, an ultraconservative, if we were to talk about a religious approach. However, should we discuss Israel in particular, he [Raisi] has recently announced that his country is 'ready to reestablish ties with everyone except Israel,'" Ben Zvi said.

Despite supporting a reactivation of the Iranian nuclear deal, President-elect Raisi has refused a possible meeting with US President Joe Biden, while reaffirming his promise to continue developing the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile program and pledging to maintain his country's support of militia groups across the region.

"Iran is a strategic threat to us. It is not just their nuclear program; they certainly have a military nuclear program, and they can talk about this indefinitely. There is also the matter of their ballistic missile program, which they also have, and it is not just aimed at Israel: they have ballistic missiles with ranges exceeding 2,000 kilometers, and these are not meant for Israel, Israel is closer," Ben Zvi added.

Described as an ultraconservative with strong ties to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Chief Justice Raisi was elected as president earlier in June with over 62% of the vote, marking a turn to the right in the country's domestic and foreign policies.