CIA Chief: Iranian People are Dissatisfied with Economic Conditions and Have Turned Away from Clerics

The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States rejected the statements of the Attorney General of the Islamic Republic regarding the involvement of this U.S. intelligence agency in the widespread protests in Iran, stating that Iranians have turned away from the Islamic Republic regime. Mike Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday that the economic situation in Iran is 'not good' and 'this is what caused people to take to the streets.' He emphasized that 'the regressive regime in Tehran has closed its ears to the voices of the Iranian people.' According to Agence France-Presse, Mr. Pompeo responded to the claim by Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General of Iran, who identified a CIA official along with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and opposition groups abroad as responsible for the unrest in Iran, saying: 'This is wrong.' He added that 'it was the Iranian people themselves - they started, created, continued the protests, and demanded better living conditions and a break from this clerical regime.' The Attorney General had claimed on January 4 that the recent protests in Iran were 'designed' from abroad, stating that 'the main designer of this project is an American named Michael Andrea, a former counter-terrorism official of the CIA.' Over the past 10 days, Iranian officials have listed various reasons for the protests, most of which point to the interference of foreign elements including the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia, Mossad, CIA, ISIS, the People's Mujahedin Organization, social media, especially Telegram, and Saddam's brother-in-law. On Sunday, the Tehran Attorney General also claimed that the nationwide protests in Iran were a 'two-phase plan' designed by the U.S. that was supposed to last for 40 days, after which 'violent and armed demonstrations would be launched and executed.' The widespread protests in Iran, which have been unprecedented in the past decade, have so far resulted in at least 22 deaths and over 1,800 arrests. The CIA chief also stated in an interview with CBS that it is 'difficult to assess whether the protests have reached a tipping point or if it is a passing movement.' He noted that 'this is a different movement from the protests of 1999 and 2009. This time, ordinary people have taken to the streets.' Mr. Pompeo explained that the reasons for these protests stem from the Iranian people's 'witnessing the failure of Rouhani and Zarif in fulfilling their promises. They have not been able to implement their economic promises after the JCPOA; promises such as job creation, facilitating trade, and ensuring food availability for all. This did not happen.' He clarified: 'What is clear from the CIA's perspective is that there are many economic problems in Iran and unemployment is very high. The promises made to the Iranian people were not fulfilled, and that is why they took to the streets.' U.S. officials, especially Donald Trump, have actively supported the protest movements in Iran from the very beginning and condemned the government's crackdown on protesters. Washington even requested a United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss the protests in Iran, and Nikki Haley, the U.S. permanent representative to the organization, strongly criticized the Iranian government's actions, stating that the world is watching Tehran's actions against the protesters.