The Iranian protesters currently participating in nationwide demonstrations to demand basic freedom and a regime change deserve international support. With European leaders mostly silent, President Trump has been right to tweet his support for the demonstrators, writes the Washington Post's editorial board. While Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has recognized their right to protest and even acknowledged that they had legitimate grievances, the protesters now need the Trump administration to hold him accountable to avoid bloodshed and violent crackdowns. America and the West should also do what they can to support peaceful protests.

Given that President Trump has previously blamed Iran for nearly all of the Middle East's problems and publicly accuses it of spreading destruction around the globe, it would behoove the anti-government protesters if he would not speak out on their behalf. Any support from the US government may do more harm than good at this point, argues Philip Gordon in the New York Times, especially as it is not yet known what the protest movement is really about or where it will lead. Many in the Trump administration argue that the only way for true change in Iran is through regime change, which is more likely to happen if mass protests don't have public support from Washington.