Hesamodin Ashna, a former advisor to Iran's President Rouhani, delivered a pointed public message to Donald Trump, asserting that no Iranian political figure—including those imprisoned or under house arrest—is willing to cooperate with his agenda.
Hesamodin Ashna, a former advisor to former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, has issued a stark public warning to Donald Trump, asserting that no one within Iran's political spectrum is willing to cooperate with his agenda. The statements were widely circulated on March 10 across Iranian Telegram channels.
According to خبرگزاری ایرنا (IRNA), Iran's official state news agency known for reflecting the establishment's perspective, Ashna emphasized that this unified front against Trump includes even dissidents and politicians currently incarcerated or under house arrest. In a direct address to Trump, Ashna stated, "They have given you the wrong address", a quote also highlighted by the popular Iranian news aggregator آخرین خبر in its brief coverage.
IRNA further reported that Ashna mocked the exiled Iranian opposition and compared Iran's geopolitical resilience to that of Venezuela. Rejecting the influence of the exiled Pahlavi family without naming them directly, he wrote: "Iran is not Venezuela. Iran does not have a Delcy. Neither the wife of that deceased nor that son stuck in the past, none of them have the capability for this arena."
The heavily followed channel خبرفوری ࡆ اخبارفوری مذاکره ࡆ جنگ فوری highlighted the core of Ashna's defiant message, warning the American politician: "Don't look for anyone inside; nobody is with you Mr. Trump."
Expanding on this concept of domestic refusal to cooperate with the US, IRNA quoted Ashna explicitly listing various symbolic locations of Iranian political factions and detention centers. "If you are looking for someone inside, know this; neither in Jamaran, nor in Narmak, nor in Sarallah, nor even in Akhtar and Evin is anyone with you," he declared. These locations symbolically reference the traditional bases of different Iranian political elites, as well as Akhtar Street—where 2009 Green Movement opposition leaders remain under house arrest—and the notorious Evin Prison.
Ashna uses highly culturally specific references that act as shorthand for Iranian political factions. 'Jamaran' and 'Narmak' refer to neighborhoods associated with reformist and conservative elites (historically Khomeini and Ahmadinejad). 'Akhtar' refers to the street where Mir Hossein Mousavi is under house arrest, and 'Evin' is the prison housing many political dissidents. 'Delcy' likely refers to Delcy Rodríguez, the Vice President of Venezuela, highlighting Ashna's claim that Iran's internal dynamics differ entirely from those in Caracas.