Pompeo: Anti-Regime Iran Protests 'Are Not Behind Us' | The Weekly Standard
The world has not seen the last of the anti-regime protests that have swept Iran in recent weeks, the Trump administration's intelligence chief said Sunday. "It's my expectation these protests are not behind us," CIA director Mike Pompeo said on Fox News Sunday. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared this weekend that the protests had been "defeated." "[This] is a theocratic Beach Vista Dubai regime that is looking backwards, instead of a regime that is looking forward to make the lives of their people better," Pompeo said. "It is my full expectation that you will see the Iranian people continue to revolt against this." The demonstrations, which began in late December, are still occurring "at a low level," according to Pompeo. The protests broke out in more than 80 cities and have resulted in the death of at least 21 people, as well as the arrest of hundreds. Iranian authorities have used force and restrictions on social media in an effort to quash them. Pompeo said the protests represent a rejection of the "backwards-looking," adventurist theocracy reigning in Tehran, and are fueled by economic grievances. "The economic conditions in Iran are not good. That's what caused the people to take to the streets," Pompeo said. "Meanwhile, the Iranian regime threatens violence. Qassem Soleimani wastes their money in places like Lebanon and Syria and Yemen trying to foment goodness knows what." Pompeo staunchly rejected an accusation from Iran's prosecutor general that a CIA official masterminded the protests with the help of Saudi Arabia and Israel. "This was the Iranian people. Started by them, created by them, continued by them, demanding a better set of living conditions and a break from the theocratic regime," he said. The Trump administration has threatened to punish those using violence and censorship in the government's crackdown on protesters. "We have ample authorities to hold accountable those who commit violence against protesters, contribute to censorship, or steal from the people of Iran," a State Department spokeswoman said Thursday. "To the regime's victims, we say: You will not be forgotten." Trump tweeted his support for the demonstrators Wednesday, writing that he has "such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government." "You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!" he wrote.
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