Israel, Iranian President-Elect Called the 'Butcher of Tehran'

Raeeshi Warns of Dedication to Nuclear Weapons Development and Global Terrorism
Iran's Nuclear Program Must Be Permanently Halted

[Asia Economy International Department Reporter] Israel has expressed caution, stating that Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, the newly elected hardline conservative President of Iran, will devote himself to developing nuclear weapons.

Yair Lapid, Israel's Foreign Minister, commented on Twitter on the 19th (local time), saying, "The new Iranian president, known as the 'Butcher of Tehran,' is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iranians," and "He will dedicate himself to the Iranian regime's nuclear ambitions and global terrorism."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President-elect Raisi led the purge of dissidents after the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, appointed by then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

He also played a leading role in the violent suppression of the 'Green Movement,' an anti-government protest against alleged election fraud by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009. Some of the protesters arrested at that time were executed on charges of overthrowing the state and espionage.

Rio Hayat, spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also stated in a press release regarding the 48.8% voter turnout in the Iranian presidential election on the 18th, "Less than half of Iranian voters elected the most extreme president in history," and "The election of Raisi clearly reveals Iran's truly evil intentions."

The statement added, "Iran's nuclear program must be stopped immediately and permanently. Additionally, Iran's ballistic missile program must be dismantled."

Israel, the only unofficial nuclear-armed country in the Middle East, has been extremely wary of Iran's nuclear armament.