Iranian presidential adviser warns Trump about listening 'to that clown, Pompeo'

Trump and Pompeo.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

One of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's senior advisers had some harsh words Wednesday morning for President Trump.

Hesameddin Ashena went after the U.S. president on his favorite social media platform, tweeting a warning to him about the prospect of war between Iran and the United States. Although Ashena had previously described Trump as Iran's "sole problem" with the U.S., he appeared this time to mostly blame Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — whom he called a "clown" — for the escalation, which continued Tuesday evening when Tehran launched missiles at two U.S. military bases in Iraq. Ashena did, however, seem to hint some sort of agreement was still possible if Trump changes course.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.