A number of top U.S. officials weighed in on protests in Iran. "[The] Iranian gov[ernmen]t should respect their people's rights, including [the] right to express themselves," tweeted President Trump, adding that "the world is watching!" In a statement, the State Department "urge[d] all nations to publicly support the Iranian people and their demands for basic rights and an end to corruption". The speaker of the house, Paul Ryan, described the protests as "the result of a regime more focused on propping up terrorist organizations than addressing the plight of its citizens". Tom Cotton, a senator from Arkansas, argued in a statement that the unrest illustrated how “a regime driven by such a hateful ideology cannot maintain broad popular support forever, and we should support the Iranian people who are willing to risk their lives to speak out against it”.