President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday morning to express support for protesters demonstrating against the Iranian government, writing, "The U.S. is watching."
"The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their 'pockets,'" Trump said.
"The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching!" he continued.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948164289591902208
This is not the first time Trump has expressed his support for the current protests in Iran.
On Friday, as the protests spread, Trump tweeted that the Iranian government should respect people's rights, including the right to express themselves.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/946949708915924994
The protests began on Thursday, driven by the poor economic situation and discontentment with the presidency of Hassan Rouhani and the clerical ruling regime headed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, sparking counter-demonstrations from supporters of the hardline Islamic government, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Iranian citizens fed up with the skyrocketing prices of food and other basic necessities in Iran have launched protests in several key Iranian cities, including Tehran, to express anger at the hardline government, which, despite receiving billions in cash windfalls as a result of the landmark nuclear deal, has done little to revive Iran's ailing economy.
While the Iranian regime has invested billions on advanced new weaponry and engaged in what Iranian leaders have described as a massive military buildup, the economic revival promised by the Obama administration and Iranian leaders who negotiated the nuclear deal has failed to materialize.
On Monday, Vice President Mike Pence said on Twitter that as long as Trump is president and he is vice president, "the United States of America will not repeat the shameful mistake of our past when others stood by and ignored the heroic resistance of the Iranian people as they fought against their brutal regime."
"The bold and growing resistance of the Iranian people today gives hope and faith to all who struggle for freedom and against tyranny," Pence continued. "We must not and we will not let them down."