Trump vs. Obama on Iran Protests: 5 Things to Know
Iran's response
As some analysts say that Obama's calculated hesitance in response to the Iranian protests in 2009 was to prevent any possible U.S. intervention in the matter from becoming a "rallying cause for the clerical regime," Iran is now arguing that tweets from Trump and Pence about the Iran protests are tantamount to tampering in Iranian affairs.
In a letter sent Thursday to the United Nations, Tehran accused Trump and Pence of inciting protests and accused the U.S. of "grotesque" meddling in Iranian affairs, CNN reported.
The letter also accused the State Department of communicating with protesters and encouraging them to protest.
"The President and vice president of the United States, in their numerous absurd tweets, incited Iranians to engage in disruptive acts," the letter reads. "The U.S. Department of State went so far as admitting that the U.S. government wants to encourage protesters in Iran to change their government, admitting that the U.S. is engaged in interfering with the internal affairs of Iran through Facebook and Twitter."
Earlier this week, Khamenei blamed the protests on Iran's "enemies" and called out Western influences.
"The enemy is always looking for an opportunity & any crevice to infiltrate &strike the Iranian nation," the Supreme Leader tweeted.