Trump, Now A Friend Of Iran? Protesters Say US Not The Enemy, Its Leaders Are

President Donald Trump is encouraging Iranian protestors into denouncing their government as they take to the streets to blast the leaders controlling the country for lying to them about the destruction of a Ukrainian passenger jet.

A mere two months after violent protests over rising oil prices led to the deaths of thousands of Iranians, anti-government activists again took to the streets over the weekend, this time demanding the resignation of Iran's supreme leader, ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the religious leaders that control Iran with a iron fist.

The fuse that lit the renewed anger among anti-government protestors was the destruction of a passenger jet on January 8 by anti-aircraft missiles fired by a missile battery of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) controlled by Iran's theocratic mullahs. Iran first denied shooting down the civilian plane with 176 people on board -- most of them Iranian citizens -- but changed its tune when the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, among other countries, presented incontrovertible evidence to prove Iran's culpability.

During Sunday's protests, Iranians shouted “commander-in-chief resign,” referring to Khamenei, and “death to liars.” More ominous for the regime, some protestors yelled, “They are lying that our enemy is America, our enemy is right here.” A statement that seemingly points to Iranians' waning sentiments towards U.S. Still others chanted, "Down with the dictator (Khamenei)."

Trump joined the anti-government chorus tweeting support for the demonstrators. In a tweet on Sunday in both English and transated into Farsi, he threw in his lot with the protestors and encouraged their protests.

"To the brave, long-suffering people of Iran: I've stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you," Trump tweeted. "We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage."

In another tweet, he warned Khamenei against killing peaceful protestors. He also demanded Iran restore internet access and, despite relentlessly attacking U.S media and calling them purveyors of fake news, Trump demanded Iran grant journalists complete freedom of the press.

Iranian social media say Iran has again shut down the internet to limit the spread of protest videos. Iran resorted to the same tactic during the massive anti-government protests in November 2019 when thousands of Iranians were murdered by the country's security forces. The wanton mass killing of protestors help stamp-out the protests. Trump and the U.S. Department of State both encouraged protestors to stand-up to the mullahs in these lethal street actions.

Trump's direct support of the ongoing protests seemingly confirm his goal of a regime change in Iran, although he has repeatedly denied having this objective. Some analysts point out Trump's assassination of major general Qasem Soleimani on January 3 was another step towards ousting the Iranian regime. It's no secret the goal of Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran is to undermine and oust the mullahs ruling that country.

Right-wing commentator Jim Hanson, President of Security Studies Group, engaged in Trumpian hyperbole in an opinion piece on Fox News. He wrote Iranian protestors "got a tremendous boost when President Trump sent a tweet in Farsi supporting their cause, which rapidly became the most liked tweet in Farsi in the history of Twitter."

He also claimed Trump's killing of Soleimani has emboldened opponents of the Iranian regime at home and abroad. He also made the argument Trump's policy in Iran "is not regime change but to change the regime."

"We are rapidly approaching the last chance for the mullahs to do that," he said. "The U.S. is applying even more sanctions to a regime crippled financially and unable to operate much longer. The protesters are applying internal pressure that delegitimizes a regime with a massive credibility deficit already."

He also said the mullahs "need to change their ways or the people will change them." Hanson again argues "a more peaceful and prosperous Iran would be better for everyone," which is an unabashed argument for regime change.