While the US is usually the one issuing ultimatums, an adviser to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani issued one of his own, telling President Donald Trump he should reconsider sanctions if he wants to avoid a war.

Hesameddin Ashena tweeted that war and boycotts are two sides of the same coin, and that the US should think twice about sanctions if it doesn’t want a war.



War and boycott are two on one coin and along with the continuation of sanctions that are demanding or unintentionally moving towards the war. So if you don’t want a war, you should be thinking about sanctions.

Things nearly reached the breaking point this week after Iran shot down a US surveillance drone. Trump claimed on Friday that he was 10 minutes away from launching a retaliatory strike before deciding to call it off, but warning he would not hesitate to act if Iran pursues a nuclear weapon.

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Ashena’s comment comes as Trump also tweeted that he had added additional “biting” sanctions against Iran on Thursday, further straining increasingly tense relations between the two nations. The US also sanctioned Iran’s largest petrochemical holding group for indirectly supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp earlier this month.

Ashena described the sanctions as “economic terrorism,” echoing Rouhani’s Wednesday statements, and pointed to the fact that the current crisis is a result of Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal last year. He added that the situation is reversible, and said Iran would be willing to meet any constructive steps in turn.

Sanctions on Iran is economic terrorism. We will respond to it by all means necessary. Today’s crisis stems from Washington’s withdrawal from JCPOA, and obstructing real diplomatic overtures. But this process is reversible. Every tangible constructive step will be met in kind. — Hesameddin Ashena (@hesamodin1) June 21, 2019

Although the sanctions don’t directly affect essential goods, restrictions on international trade and banking have made it hard for the country to attain certain vital necessities like food and medicine. While sanctions have so far proven ineffective at coercing Tehran to act in accordance with Washington’s will, they have had a negative effect on the civilian population.

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