DONALD Trump has warned “the world is watching” after Iran arrested people protesting against the Tehran Government.
Iran’s domestic authority has come under pressure this week after protesters clashed with police in a rare sign of public discontent.
More than 300 people gathered in the city of Kermanshah earlier today to call for “revolution” as public anger surrounding Iran’s poor economic situation and allegations of corruption gripped the nation.
More than a hundred people have been arrested for protesting over the past week and riot police have used extreme measures such as water cannon and tear gas to try and disperse crowds.
On Twitter Donald Trump condemned Iran’s actions.
He said: “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.”
US State Department also condemned the arrests in a statement that urged "all nations to publicly support the Iranian people and their demands for basic rights and an end to corruption.”
Furious protestors called on President Hassan Rouhani’s Government to focus less on issues abroad and more on domestic problems.
The anger on the streets of Iran comes as the country tussles with Saudi Arabia for power over the Middle East.
Tehran has been involved in a proxy war with Saudi Arabia in Yemen for the last three years.
In the city of Mashhad on Thursday there were chants of "not Gaza, not Lebanon, my life for Iran" and "leave Syria, think about us".
Inflation has spiralled out of control in Iran, with the price of basic food items such as milk and eggs doubling in the period of a week.
Despite international sanctions on the country being relaxed in 2015 economic growth has continued to stagnate.
The protests are the first to take place in the country since 2009.The disturbances are likely to relieve Saudi Arabia and the US who have feared the nation was positioning itself to become a regional superpower.
Aaron David Miller, a former US Middle East adviser, had previously warned that Iran was likely to win in their fight for control over Saudi Arabia.
Mr Miller said: “I don’t believe the Saudis are going to come out winners.”
The protests also take place as pressure grows both at home and abroad to relax strict Islamic laws in the country, including rules surrounding women’s dress.
For years women have been forced to cover their hair and wear long, loose clothing.
The conservative traditions placed the country at odds with Saudi Arabia as it seeks to modernise since Mohammed bin Salman became the country’s Crown Prince.
Reforms already taking place in Saudi Arabia include the decision to let women drive and plans to create a new tourist hub similar to Dubai on the coast of the Red Sea.