Trump warns Iran ‘world is watching,’ following anti-government protests
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – United States President Donald Trump on Friday warned Iran that “the world is watching” following the second day of anti-government protests in the country.
“Many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with [the] regime’s corruption & its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad,” Trump wrote on Twitter, adding the Iranian government should “respect people’s rights.”
The US leader has often voiced his disapproval of the Iranian government, labeling it as a “fanatical regime” and has repeatedly accused Tehran of overstepping a nuclear agreement signed by both countries.
During the first day of protests in Iran’s second-largest city of Mashad on Thursday, 52 people were arrested as demonstrations spread into Tehran and the Kurdish city of Kermanshah on Friday.
The rallies began as protests against soaring prices but quickly turned political as widespread corruption, as well as Iran’s costly interventions in Syria and Iraq, further incited the public’s anger.
Protestors chanted against Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and called for “the economically corrupt” to be executed.
Videos showed police attacking protestors with batons in the Kurdish-populated Kermanshah, which suffered a devastating 7.3-magnitude earthquake last month.
Kurdish protesters fight back baton-wielding police in major anti-gov protest in #Kermanshah on Friday. Day 2 of protests in major #Iran cities inc. #Mashhad, #Tabriz, #Nishapur & #Yazd. Chanting "Down with the Dictator." #Iran #TwitterKurds #SupportKurdistan pic.twitter.com/BHcgHDBEHo
— Kurdistan 24 English (@K24English) December 29, 2017
Since his reelection in May, the Iranian President has faced criticism from both hardline opponents and disillusioned supporters, who had been expecting a broader economic recovery following Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and the easing of international sanctions.
Meanwhile, Rouhani’s first vice-president Eshaq Jahangiri dismissed the demonstrations in a speech on Friday, stating that economic issues were “being used as an excuse.”