US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent a message of support on Wednesday to iranians taking part in strikes and protests against their government.
As recent demonstrations have grown, however, Pompeo has begun a Twitter campaign, now backed by a formal statement, to amplify opposition voices.
«The people of iran are tired of the corruption, injustice, and incompetence from their leaders. The world hears their voice,» Pompeo wrote.
The warning followed demonstrations and a rare strike Monday at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, and after earlier reports of street uprisings in provincial cities.
iran is once again under economic sanctions and has faced mounting economic woes since US President Donald Trump in May pulled Washington out of the 2015 deal with world powers that imposed controls on Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of sanctions.
But the slogans chanted by the crowds and leaking out to the world via social media show that many in the country blame their own government for the downturn.
Pompeo has sought to exploit this and to link the protests to areas where the US has its own complaints, such as iran's intervention in regional conflicts.
«The iranian government is squandering its citizens' resources,» he said, «whether its adventurism in Syria, its support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, or its ambitions for wastefully expanding its nuclear program, it will only add to the suffering of the people of iran.»
As recent demonstrations have grown, however, Pompeo has begun a Twitter campaign, now backed by a formal statement, to amplify opposition voices.
«The people of iran are tired of the corruption, injustice, and incompetence from their leaders. The world hears their voice,» Pompeo wrote.
The warning followed demonstrations and a rare strike Monday at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, and after earlier reports of street uprisings in provincial cities.
iran is once again under economic sanctions and has faced mounting economic woes since US President Donald Trump in May pulled Washington out of the 2015 deal with world powers that imposed controls on Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of sanctions.
But the slogans chanted by the crowds and leaking out to the world via social media show that many in the country blame their own government for the downturn.
Pompeo has sought to exploit this and to link the protests to areas where the US has its own complaints, such as iran's intervention in regional conflicts.
«The iranian government is squandering its citizens' resources,» he said, «whether its adventurism in Syria, its support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, or its ambitions for wastefully expanding its nuclear program, it will only add to the suffering of the people of iran.»