US president tweets ‘time for change’ in Iran

Monitoring Desk

ANKARA: The U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday again weighed in with his sharp views on the developing situation in Iran where thousands of people were protesting against the government for several days.

Sharing views on his official Twitter account, Trump said: “Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted.”

“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.”

The American president was referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed in 2015 between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for lifting some economic sanctions. The Obama administration had spent years working to make that deal happen, whereas Trump, like the majority of Republicans, denounced it as a “disaster” and the “worst deal ever negotiated”.

“They are hungry for food and for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. Time for change,” Trump added.

Thousands of Iranians on Thursday hit the streets in the northeastern cities of Mashhad and Kashmar to protest rising commodity prices and perceived government mismanagement, according to local media reports.

Tehran also described the recent statements made by the U.S. as “a support to anti-regime opponents”.