Iran does not expect Israel to change policy after Netanyahu’s departure

Tehran: Iran does not expect Israel to change its policy under the new administration, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday.

“We do not believe that Israel’s policy… will change as people come and go,” he told a news conference a day after Naftali Bennett was sworn in as prime minister of Israel.

The newly elected premier was appointed by parliament in a razor-thin 60-59 vote on Sunday, marking the end of Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year rule.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif welcomed Netanyahu’s departure in a tweet on Monday, saying this should be a warning to those who come after him.

Bennett, a former defense minister, will lead a patchwork coalition government of right-wing, leftist, centrist and Arab conservative forces who banded together to unseat 71-year-old Netanyahu.

Speaking in parliament on Sunday, Bennett said he would strongly oppose nuclear talks between six world powers and Iran that seek to lift US sanctions on Tehran in exchange for its return to nuclear commitments.