Three days after the crash of the Ukrainian airliner carrying 176 passengers, the Iranian government admitted that the airliner had been mistakenly shot by a missile.
On the afternoon of the 11th local time, people held a candlelight vigil for the victims on the streets of Tehran. CNN said thousands of participants then turned to anti-government demonstrations in protest. During this period, the British ambassador was briefly detained by Iran on suspicion of inciting demonstrations.
Seeing the shift in contradictions between the United States and Iran, Trump and Pompeo have been active, directly calling out to the Iranian government and showing solidarity with the demonstrators. Trump even sent two tweets in a row saying that he was with "Iranian protesters" and specially attached a Persian translation.
Iranians kept vigil for the victims last night, from getty images
Since the afternoon of the 11th local time, universities in Tehran have held candlelight vigils for Ukrainian shipwrecks and victims, and people have gathered to mourn.
As night fell, grief was gradually replaced by anger, and the otherwise peaceful vigil turned to anti-government demonstrations against the Iranian government. Protesters have demanded that the government take responsibility for the tragedy of the mistaken shooting, a public trial of military personnel, and even voices demanding the ouster of Iran's Supreme Leader, Khamenei. CNN said the protesters numbered in the thousands.
According to the British "Daily Mail" reported on the 11th, there were protests at Tehran University, Sharif Technical University, Amir Kabir University and Alamy University.
On the same day, the British ambassador to Iran, Rob Makel, was briefly arrested by the Iranian government on suspicion of "inciting protests". Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that at the moment of his arrest, Ambassador Rob Makel was attending the "and coordinating" protests at Amir Kabil Polytechnic University. The British government condemns this.
Protesters demanded Khamenei's ouster, pictured on social media
Although they can't be "in the line of fire" like the British ambassador, the urgency of the US president and secretary of state to participate is obvious – even if they are thousands of miles apart, the two are still pushing for Iranian anti-government demonstrators on Twitter, high-profile declarations that they are "with the Iranians".
Trump tweeted: "To the brave and suffering Iranians: I have been with you since I became president, and my administration will continue to be with you." We are watching your protests closely and are encouraged by your courage. ”
It's not enough to "stand together" alone. An hour later, Trump tweeted again, directly bringing up the rhythm.
He called out that the Iranian government "must allow human rights organizations to monitor and report on demonstrations in Iran from the scene" and reminded: "Stop killing peaceful protesters or blocking information on the Internet." The whole world is watching you. ”
Trump's tweets allude to massive street protests in Iran last year. Since November last year, a large number of Iranians have taken to the streets because of the government's increase in oil prices, followed by violent demonstrations. During this period, demonstrators were killed, many injured, and thousands of people were arrested. The U.S. government condemns the Iranian government's use of violence against "peaceful demonstrators." There are also US media that Iran has cut off the Internet in order to prevent the expansion of the situation.
It is worth noting that Trump attached Persian translations after both tweets.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also joined in the fun, and he specially attached a video of demonstrators chanting "leaders step down" to express on behalf of Iranians that they are "tired of the government's lies, corruption, incompetence and Revolutionary Guard atrocities", saying that Americans will be with "Iranians who deserve a better future".
The official account of the U.S. State Department posted and reprinted more than a dozen tweets within hours, expressing concern about the Protests in Iran and posting videos condemning the Iranian government and police for their "crackdown" on protesters.
According to the Daily Mail, CNN and other media reports, shortly after the protests began, Iranian riot police quickly intervened and dispersed the crowd with tear gas. No one was injured during the protests.
For the incident of mistakenly firing a Ukrainian airliner, Hajizadeh, commander of the aerospace force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, explained at the press conference on the 11th and said that he was ready to be investigated by the judicial organs.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the accident and promised to hold the perpetrators accountable and to take all necessary measures to compensate and comfort the families of the victims.