WH On Iran Protests: 'President Trump Is Not Going To Sit By Silently Like President Obama Did'
- 6 years ago
Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday defended President Trump's tweets on Iran.
President Trump has posted multiple tweets expressing support for the recent anti-government protests in Iran and during a press briefing on Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about their potential impact on an already volatile situation in the nation.
When Reuters' Steve Holland questioned, "Is there a risk that, by encouraging these demonstrators, that there could be a backlash against them from the Iranian government?" Sanders replied that the Trump administration holds a different view.
Specifically, she said: "I think even Hillary Clinton outlined this when she said that the Obama administration was too restrained of the 2009 protests and said that won't happen again. And, for once, she's right and we agree with her because President Trump is not going to sit by silently like President Obama did. And he certainly supports the Iranian people and wants to make that clear."
Obama faced criticism earlier on Tuesday as well, when Trump tweeted, "The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their 'pockets.' The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching!"
According to USA Today, "Trump has long attacked the Obama-era agreement in which the U.S. and allies reduced economic sanctions on Iran as its government gave up the means to make nuclear weapons."
The protests over economic grievances started last Thursday in Iran and have claimed 21 lives so far.
President Trump has posted multiple tweets expressing support for the recent anti-government protests in Iran and during a press briefing on Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about their potential impact on an already volatile situation in the nation.
When Reuters' Steve Holland questioned, "Is there a risk that, by encouraging these demonstrators, that there could be a backlash against them from the Iranian government?" Sanders replied that the Trump administration holds a different view.
Specifically, she said: "I think even Hillary Clinton outlined this when she said that the Obama administration was too restrained of the 2009 protests and said that won't happen again. And, for once, she's right and we agree with her because President Trump is not going to sit by silently like President Obama did. And he certainly supports the Iranian people and wants to make that clear."
Obama faced criticism earlier on Tuesday as well, when Trump tweeted, "The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their 'pockets.' The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching!"
According to USA Today, "Trump has long attacked the Obama-era agreement in which the U.S. and allies reduced economic sanctions on Iran as its government gave up the means to make nuclear weapons."
The protests over economic grievances started last Thursday in Iran and have claimed 21 lives so far.