Iran election: Israel PM warns world of Ebrahim Raisi

Iran election: Israel PM warns world of Ebrahim Raisi

Israel's Prime Minister has SLOTXO said the international community should "wake up" to the election of Iran's next president, Ebrahim Raisi.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Iran's "regime of brutal hangmen" wants nuclear weapons - something Iran has repeatedly denied.

Ebrahim Raisi was declared the winner of Iran's presidential election on Saturday.

He is is Iran's top judge and holds ultra-conservative views.

In a statement following his victory, he promised to strengthen public trust in the government, and be a leader for the entire nation.

"I will form a hard-working, revolutionary and anti-corruption government," state media quoted him as saying.

The election race was widely seen as being designed to favour Mr Raisi. The president-elect - who will be inaugurated in August - is under US sanctions and has been linked to past executions of political prisoners.

In an Israeli cabinet meeting on Sunday, Mr Bennett told colleagues this was "the last chance for world powers to wake up... and understand who they are doing business with".

"A regime of brutal hangmen must never be allowed to have weapons of mass destruction."

Iran and Israel have been in a long-running "shadow war", which has resulted in both countries taking part in tit-for-tat actions, but so far avoiding all-out conflict. Recently, however, the hostilities between the two have escalated again.