PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump says Iran is “failing at every level,” and he is voicing his support for the protesters there, saying it is “TIME FOR CHANGE.”
Trump said on Twitter Monday: “Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the Obama Administration. The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!”
The protests began Thursday in Mashhad over economic issues and have since expanded to several cities. Hundreds of people have been arrested.
While some have shared Trump’s tweets, many in Iran distrust him as he’s refused to re-certify the nuclear deal and because his travel bans have blocked Iranians from getting U.S. visas.
Earlier, the president began the New Year by sending an angry, early morning tweet criticizing Pakistan.
Trump tweeted: “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!”
SEE ALSO: Iran state TV says 9 killed in nationwide protests, unrest
It was not immediately clear why Trump opted to tweet on Pakistan. The U.S. has long accused Istanbul of allowing militants to operate relatively freely in Pakistan’s border regions to carry out operations in neighboring Afghanistan.
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