US Welcomes Anti-Khamenei Protests in Iran
Voice of America
VOA News
12 Jun 2003, 21:51 UTC
The United States has welcomed demonstrations in Iran against the country's unelected Muslim clerical regime.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher says the Tuesday and Wednesday night protests draw attention to what he calls the "destructive policies" of Iran's Islamic regime.
He says Washington fully supports and applauds the Iranian people for voicing their desire to live in freedom. He added that the United States is concerned about reports of police arresting protesters.
Mr. Boucher spoke after Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed the United States for the protests.
Ayatollah Khamenei said Washington is supporting civil unrest in his country in an effort to create a divide between the regime and the populace.
Ayatollah Khamenei also urged hard-line vigilantes not to take action against demonstrators.
Thousands of Iranians turned out late Tuesday and Wednesday in Tehran for protests, shouting slogans against Iran's clerical regime and, in a rare twist, some also calling on Iranian President Mohammad Khatami to resign, saying he has not introduced enough reforms. Iran's intelligence minister (Ali Yunesi) alleged Wednesday that the protests were organized by opposition satellite television channels based outside Iran.
The two days of protests are the first large student demonstrations in months.
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