In recent days, one of the biggest stories to come out of the Middle East have been the protests taking place in Iran. To kick off the new year, Donald Trump returned to Twitter to give his thoughts.
Trump on Iran
The Iranian people took to the streets last week in protests of a failing economy in the country, but the demonstrations quickly expanded into opposition against the clerical rule of law under President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Protesters have burned images of the two leaders, with women taking to the streets to remove their hijab as a sign of pushing back against forced oppression through religious fundamentalism.
As 2017 came to a close, the protests spread to dozens of cities in the country, including the capital of Tehran, leading to the Iranian government shutting down access to the internet. Commenting on the issue was Donald Trump during a tweet on January 1.
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018
Taking to Twitter on Monday morning was Donald Trump who attacked the Barack Obama administration while praising the people of Iran.
"Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the Obama Administration," Trump tweeted. "The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years," he wrote, while listing some of the hardships in the country before concluding "TIME FOR CHANGE!" The Iranian government previously responded to Trump's initial reaction to the protests, as they blasted the White House for speaking out and taking the side of the protesters over the government, especially during a time of civil unrest in the region and around the world.
Trump on Pakistan
In an additional tweet, Donald Trump turned his attention to another country in the Middle East, this time setting his sights on Pakistan. "The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years," the president wrote, before stating, "they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools." Trump went on to accuse Pakistan of harboring terrorists in the region and ended by writing, "No more!" As of press time, the Pakistani government have not issued an official response to the president's comments.
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018
Next up
As Donald Trump kicks off 2018 with strong words against the Middle East, only time will tell if he will turn his tweets into action. Trump's popularity has not seen a positive change despite his hard-line on foreign policy affairs, with his favorability hovering around just 35 percent after one year in office.
