Al Arabiya English reports that a top Iranian Islamic cleric has shown support for the anti-government protesters that have demonstrated in cities across the country since Thursday.

Ossein Noori Hamedani, a top religious cleric and Islamic jurisprudence authoritative figure in the city of Qom, has said he understands the plights of Iranian citizens hardened by economic problems.

“The people are demanding their right and we must support them,” Hamedani was quoted by the Iranian media. He added: “People are demanding their legitimate rights because they suffer from high living costs and the difficulty of living, as well as the spread of unemployment,” calling on the government to work to reduce poverty and unemployment and avoid the anger of the people.



“A lot of people have written to us about the loss of their money in financial institutions and some banks that have declared bankruptcy and have not been able to return their money. The government must pay these funds without delay”, Hamdani said.

But, he did not go so far as to support the anti-Islamic nature of these protests. It is hard to argue that these protests are purely economic driven as protesters chant “Death to Rouani” referring to the president and topple public displays of Supreme Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As noted byExpress U.K., Khamenei has previously attempted to cast blame on the United States and President Donald J. Trump for Iran’s economic problems.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei branded the US President the country’s “main enemy” and claimed any attempts to weaken Iran were “futile”. Mocking the American leader, he said: “Reagan was more powerful and smarter than Trump. “He was a better actor in making threats.” He went on: “But Reagan is gone and, according to our beliefs, he now faces God’s retribution while Iran has made great advances in all areas since Reagan’s time.” “This trend will continue under the current American president and any hopes on their part that the Islamic Republic would back off or weaken is futile.”

But President Trump and the United States State Department firmly support the people of Iran. Late last night, President Trump sent a tweet warning Iran that the “world is watching.”

Many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with regime’s corruption & its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad. Iranian govt should respect their people’s rights, including right to express themselves. The world is watching! #IranProtests — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2017

So far, the protests have continued.