Iranian media outlets were inundated by editorials July 24 on how a Boris Johnson premiership would impact the already turbulent Tehran-London ties. Personal traits and foreign policy approaches that the incoming British prime minister shares with US President Donald Trump shaped the picture Iranian outlets painted of the new Tory leader.

"A new Trump in Europe," "The British Trump," "Trump's duplicate," "Trump reproduced in London" and "Trump's body double" were among a multitude of pejorative descriptions Iranian papers used to underline what they view as the threat of the new UK prime minister to international relations in general and the Islamic Republic in particular.

In a skeptical editorial, Etemad, which represents Iran's pro-engagement Reformist camp, called Johnson the "choice of the extremists." The paper claimed, however, that the new government will be "short-lived" only to be pushed aside by the Labour Party in a snap election. The same prediction was made by London-based former Iranian culture minister, Ata'ollah Mohajerani, who traced the roots of an anticipated collapse of the Tories in their Brexit ambitions.

According to Iranian media, a daunting foreign policy challenge the new British leader is facing, among others, is the ongoing oil tanker crisis, which has strained the UK-Iran relationship. Last week, a British oil tanker was seized by Iranian forces in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. London has called the move a tit-for-tat response by Tehran after an Iranian oil tanker was detained off the coast of Gibraltar over allegations that it was violating EU sanctions by shipping oil to Syria. Iran has denied the tanker was destined for Syria but has refused to identify the destination. It has also offered multiple reasons other than retaliation for the capture of the British tanker.