Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) released a statement on X, praising the mass protests that have sprung up in and around Tehran, Iran.
“As we look at the start of a new year, it’s encouraging to see Iranian protests that call for an end to the abusive Iranian dictatorship. I hope the people of Iran continue to stand up to the evil Iranian regime,” Sen. Scott said.
The protestsare primarily centralized in the cities of Tehran and Mashhad, with protestors facing tear gas and street clashes with police forces.
Protestors are demonstrating against the current Iranian dictatorship with Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, reporting that a large crowd of demonstrators are marching along Jomhouri (Republic) Street, Naser Khosrow Street, Istanbul Square, and Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, chanting “Have no fear, we are all together,” and “Death to the dictator.”
Demonstrators are also chanting “Shameless, Shameless” and other insults towards police forces as they attempt to disperse the protests.
Alongside the mass protests, businesses have also gone on strike with shops shuttered in major commercial hubs, including Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, Lalehzar Street, Naser Khosrow, and Istanbul Square, all while the people chant anti-government slogans and call for the downfall of the ruling clerics and demand that the leadership step aside.
Iran International reported on the protests, saying that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has instructed his interior minister to open talks with representatives of the protesters, marking Iran’s first official response to the unrest.
The protests have quickly gained international attention, with former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo weighing in on a post on X.
“It’s no surprise that the people of Iran are taking to the streets to protest the collapsing economy,” Pompeo said. “The Iranian regime has ruined what should be a vibrant and prosperous country with its extremism and corruption.”
"The people of Iran deserve a representative government that serves their interests — not those of the mullahs and their cronies," he added.
