Trump Praises Iranian Protesters for Confronting 'Ruthless and Corrupt' Government

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, on Tuesday, January 1, continued his support for protests in Iran, praising Iranian protesters for confronting the 'ruthless and corrupt' Islamic Republic government. In a new Twitter message, Mr. Trump wrote: 'The people of Iran have finally taken action against the ruthless and corrupt regime of Iran. All the money that Barack Obama, the previous President [of the United States], foolishly gave them [the Iranian government] was spent on terrorism and filling their 'pockets.' This message, referring to the people of Iran, adds: 'The people have little food, high inflation, and no human rights. The United States is monitoring the situation.' Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the cash payment to Iran by the Obama administration since his election campaign. Mr. Trump had previously stated in an interview with Fox that Iran is the 'largest state sponsor of terrorism' and 'we gave them $1.7 billion in cash.' During the nuclear agreement negotiations, Tehran released several Iranian-American citizens imprisoned in Iran, and the Obama administration sent money to Iran, which that government claimed was to resolve a suspended arms contract after the revolution and the interest accrued from the delay. According to the Obama administration, this payment was not related to the release of dual-national prisoners and was to prevent the increase of interest from the delay in the arms contract case. Protests and demonstrations have taken place in at least 50 cities in Iran, with protesters chanting slogans against the entire Islamic Republic system. The crackdown on these protests has left 21 dead as of Tuesday, and hundreds have been arrested. Since the protests began, Donald Trump has sent multiple messages supporting these protests, stating that 'the time for change' has come in Iran and that the people of Iran are 'thirsty for freedom.' Trump's support for the protests in Iran has been echoed by other American officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Paul Ryan, the State Department, and several U.S. senators, including Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Bernie Sanders, as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Andrew Peek, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran and Iraq, also stated that Washington is seeking to create an 'international coalition' to 'support the people of Iran' and may impose human rights sanctions against officials and entities involved in the crackdown on protesters. The U.S. President's Twitter messages have prompted a response from Hassan Rouhani, his Iranian counterpart, who, without naming Mr. Trump, stated: 'This gentleman who today wants to sympathize with our people has forgotten that a few months ago he called the Iranian nation terrorists; this person who is against the Iranian nation from head to toe has no right to show compassion for the people of Iran.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, also on Tuesday, January 1, accused 'Iran's enemies' of colluding with various tools at their disposal, including money, weapons, politics, and security apparatus, to create problems for the Islamic system. He did not provide further details or evidence on this matter, merely stating: 'I have things to say about these issues, and at the right time, I will speak to our dear people.' Previously, Hassan Rouhani and other government, security, and military officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran had blamed several foreign countries for the gatherings and protests in recent days in Iran. Iranian officials typically attribute protests in Iran to other countries but have not provided evidence for these accusations.