Senior MP Hits Back at Trump’s Tweet on Recent Protests in Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi denounced US President Donald Trump’s tweet on recent protests in Iran and said Washington has no right to interfere in the Islamic Republic’s internal affairs.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Boroujerdi pointed to recent protests against high prices in some cities in Iran and said such incidents are natural given the freedom of speech in the country.
However, he added, the enemies of the Islamic Revolution and their stooges have no right to interfere in the country’s internal affairs.
Boroujerdi further called on Trump and other American officials not to foster the illusion that the incidents that have happened in several cities in Iran are anything important.
“Mr. Trump is beating the air and hallucinating,” the Iranian parliamentarian said.
Some cities in Iran have been scenes of demonstrations in the past days after prices of several staples rose by up to 40 percent.
During the rallies, people called on the government to help control rising food prices and inflation, but some opportunists attempted to turn the situation ugly and materialize their vested interest at the cost of social security.
The US president also sided with the opportunists, tweeting, “…Iranian govt should respect their people’s rights, including right to express themselves. The world is watching!”
This is while according to Article 27 of the Iranian Constitution, “public gatherings and marches are allowed so long as the participants do not carry arms and are not in violation of the fundamental principles of Islam.”
Iranian officials maintain that peaceful protests are the right of every citizen as long as the rallies comply with the legal conditions.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani began his second term in office in August, with the country’s economic issues high on his agenda.
Rouhani’s administration has managed to reduce the inflation rate, but it still faces many economic challenges.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has said economic issues were the country’s top priority, urging Iranian officials to make relentless efforts to solve problems facing the people, including unemployment among the youth.
“Economy must be the top priority of all members and sectors of the government,” the Leader said in a meeting with President Rouhani and the members of his administration in August.
In a speech on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei once again called on officials to pursue the Resistance Economy with determination in order to address “high prices, inflation and recession.”