US and Iran: possible war, identical talk

Shaimaa Yahia

The United States continues to build up military presence in the Gulf region, against the background of growing tensions with Iran.

The US intensified its sanctions on Tehran, making it difficult for it to export its oil output to international markets.

Iranian leaders vow to stand against US President Donald Trump, even as economic conditions in their country continued to worsen. Iran backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Shiite Houthi militia in Yemen and threatens to attack US bases with ballistic missiles if the US launches war against it.

The US describes Iran as the world’s largest terrorism state sponsor. Iran says, meanwhile, it is only resisting American interference in Middle East affairs.

Although both countries say they do not want war, both of them seem to be getting ready for this war.

Similar statements

President Trump made similar statements to those of the head of the Revolutionary Guard Corps Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami.

Salami said on May 19th that his country did not want war, even as it was ready for it.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ruled out on Tuesday the possibility of war between his country and the US.

“We do not want war,” Khamenei said. “Nonetheless, the Americans know well that war will do them nothing good.”

He was even quoted by his site that the superpowers like the US only make a fuss, although it does not possess real abilities.

President Trump said, meanwhile, he did not want war because wars always harm the economy.

He added in an interview with Fox News that wars also kill people.

Trump said he only did not want Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.

The US president then returned to write on Twitter if Iran wants to fight, that will be its official end.

“Never threaten the United States again,” Trump wrote.

Saeed Sadek, a professor of political sociology at the American University in Cairo, said Salami’s statements aimed to raise the morale of the Iranians.

“He just wants to prove that the Iranian state is still strong,” Sadek told The Reference.

He expected the US sanctions on Iran to come short of fulfilling their goals, even as they will cause the Iranian economy to shrink.

“However, the sanctions will be painful to Iran,” Sadek said.