01.03.18

The People Of Iran Are Suffering

‘While the government has prioritized payments to the military and security elites and clerical institutions, the people throughout Iran have suffered. Now their discontent is evident. As part of our overall strategy toward Iran—which should be focused on ending Iran’s malign activities across the Middle East—we should hold accountable any officials behind a crackdown on these protests.’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the protests currently taking place in Iran:  

“Over the last week, one of the often-overlooked costs of Iran’s regional aggression has come to light. Iranians have taken to the streets in protest, demanding that Supreme Leader Khamenei and President Rouhani do more to expand the domestic economy. Iran’s actions in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, and its support for proxies such as Hezbollah, have diverted resources away from economic reform and investment.

“While the government has prioritized payments to the military and security elites and clerical institutions, the people throughout Iran have suffered. Now their discontent is evident. As part of our overall strategy toward Iran—which should be focused on ending Iran’s malign activities across the Middle East—we should hold accountable any officials behind a crackdown on these protests.

“The coming days will be noteworthy as we wait to see if hardliners use these protests as an excuse to promote even more aggressive policies toward the West and tighten their grip further on the country and its economy.”

Related Issues: Iran