FANNING THE FLAMES

Trump: Iranian Protesters Angry Over Funds ‘Squandered on Terrorism’

The Iranian people “will not take it any longer” amid growing unrest, he says.

President Trump on Sunday hailed ongoing protests in Iran as vindication of his oft-repeated accusations that the Iranian government is funding terrorism. “The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer,” he wrote on Twitter. “The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations,” he said, reiterating earlier warnings from the White House. Trump’s support of the protests, which turned violent as they entered into their fourth day Sunday, prompted the scorn of the Iranian government a day earlier, with the Iranian Foreign Ministry calling his comments “deceitful” and “opportunistic.” The protests initially erupted over economic policies but quickly took on an anti-government tone, with demonstrators on Sunday calling for the end of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The unrest has highlighted already strained ties between Iran and the U.S. after Trump imposed new sanctions on what he described as a “terrorist nation.”