Millions of Iranians are protesting against the Iranian regime for economic struggles the country faces as American sanctions loom. They blame Khamenei, the dictator of Iran, for this crisis in part because of the regime’s funding of terrorism in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza.

What started as a general strike by stores against the economic hardships they face has now escalated into a nationwide protest where millions of Iranians are rising up against the regime that controls them.

Chants of “Death to the dictator” and “death to Khamenei” have been heard chanted throughout the country, as well as chants against the regimes support for terrorism throughout the region, including the “Palestinian cause”. Protesters also chanted “Reza Shah, God bless your soul”. This refers to the last leader of Iran before the Ayatollah’s took power in 1979 following the “Iranian Revolution”.

In one video the crowd can be heard chanting, “Not Gaza, not Lebanon, my life only for Iran.”

Another video shows a different crowd chanting “Palestine and Syria are the reasons for our misery”.

Both of these chants link directly to the Iranian regime’s funding of terrorism. In Gaza, Iran gives money and arms to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organisations. In Lebanon, Hezbollah is being heavily financed by the Iranian regime. And in Syria, Iranian troops are in the country, backed up by Hezbollah fighters.

All three of these areas are in order to carry out attacks (presently or in the future) against Israel.

Iran has faced economic hardships since President Trump pulled out of the Iran Nuclear Deal and placed fresh sanctions on the country. This has particularly affected the price of the Iranian rial compared to the dollar. At the beginning of the year, a dollar was worth 42,890 rials. Today, a dollar is worth 90,000 rials, having a rise of 10,000 rials in a single day.

Hundreds of shops took part in strikes to protest the crippling economic situation being placed upon them. Tehran’s Grand Bazaar was the first shopping centre to close, with thousands of protesters chanting, “we close the Bazaar to save Iran”. This was followed by a number of major shopping malls throughout Tehran and the rest of the country.

Unlike Western media and politicians who have blamed President Trump for pulling out of the Iran deal, the Iranian people are placing the blame clearly on Tehran. They blame their tyrannical dictatorship, their funding of terrorism around the world and their pursuit of nuclear weapons. Basically, they blame the Iranian regime’s actions which forced America to act. Now it is time for the West to do the same.

It is not the Trump Administration who is at fault. The blame lies firmly on the shoulders of Ayatollah Khamenei and the Rouhani government of Iran.