TEHRAN – In response to inflammatory tweets by U.S. President Donald Trump since protest rallies started in Iran last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that Iran’s security and stability depend on its own people.

“Iran’s security and stability depend on its own people, who — unlike the peoples of Trumps regional “bffs”—have the right to vote and to protest. These hard-earned rights will be protected, and infiltrators will not be allowed to sabotage them through violence and destruction,” Zarif tweeted on Tuesday.

Since Thursday, groups of protesters have held rallies in several cities across the country to voice their anger over rising prices, unemployment and corruption. The protests initially started peacefully but turned violent in some cases when hooligans joined the demonstrators.

Trump posted several tweets to express his support for protests in Iran.

In his latest tweet on Monday, the U.S. president said, “The [Iranian] people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching!”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi slammed on Tuesday the U.S. president for his rude comments, saying he should address his own country’s problems instead of interfering in other countries.

“Instead of wasting his time sending useless and insulting tweets regarding other countries, he would be better off seeing to the domestic issues of his own country such as daily killings of dozens of people… and the existence of millions of homeless and hungry people,” Qassemi stated.

All Iranian officials with whatever political persuasions have insisted the people’s right to protest should be recognized. However, they have said protest rallies are different from vandalism and violent actions.
 
NA/PA