[ti:Trump Praises Iranian Protesters+++] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]U.S. President Donald Trump praised Iranian protesters Tuesday. [00:07.16]He said Iranians were "finally acting against the brutal [00:12.84]and corrupt" government in Tehran. [00:17.00]The demonstrations are the largest seen in Iran [00:21.44]since the country's disputed presidential election in 2009. [00:27.96]The Associated Press says at least 21 people have died in the unrest. [00:35.92]The protests began Thursday in Mashhad [00:40.08]over Iran's weak economy and an increase in food prices. [00:46.56]They have since expanded to other cities, [00:50.44]with some protesters denouncing the government [00:53.92]and Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. [00:59.80]Hundreds of people have been arrested. [01:03.00]A well-known judge warned on Tuesday [01:06.36]that some could face the death penalty. [01:09.60]On Twitter, Trump wrote that "all of the money" [01:14.47]that former President Barack Obama, in his words, [01:18.80]"so foolishly gave" to Iran as part of a 2015 nuclear agreement [01:25.72]"went into terrorism and into their 'pockets.' [01:29.80]The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights." [01:36.04]He added, "The U.S. is watching!" [01:39.92]After Trump's attack, Iran's foreign ministry said Trump [01:44.68]was "wasting his time sending useless [01:48.80]and insulting tweets regarding other countries." [01:53.12]It urged Trump to attend to domestic issues affecting the United States, [01:59.44]such as, in its words, "daily killings of dozens of people... [02:04.64]and the existence of millions of homeless and hungry people." [02:09.80]Earlier Tuesday, Khamenei made his first public comments [02:15.76]since the demonstrations began. [02:18.68]"In recent days," he said, "enemies of Iran used different tools... [02:24.25]to create troubles for the Islamic Republic." [02:28.08]Iranian state television broadcast his statement. [02:32.88]Khamenei said he would talk more about the protests in the coming days. [02:39.84]Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday [02:44.16]that security forces would "respond to rioters and lawbreakers." [02:50.64]Deputy Interior Minister Hossein Zolfaghari [02:54.92]said 90 percent of those who have been detained are under 25 years old. [03:02.00]Many young people are unhappy about a lack of social freedoms [03:07.44]and worsening economic conditions in the country. [03:11.92]Turkey's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday [03:14.96]it hopes foreign involvement will be avoided in Iran, [03:19.44]and that it is concerned about the reported deaths. [03:24.08]The ministry said violence should be avoided. [03:28.20]Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [03:32.12]called the protesters "brave" and "heroic." [03:36.32]British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson [03:39.75]called on all those involved to avoid violence. [03:44.08]Johnson also said, "We believe that there should be meaningful debate [03:49.52]about the legitimate and important issues the protesters are raising [03:55.28]and we look to the Iranian authorities to permit this." [04:00.64]Rouhani described the demonstrators as the "minority [04:05.28]who chant slogans against the law and the people's wishes." [04:11.00]The Iranian president added, "The people are absolutely free [04:15.84]in expressing their criticisms and even protests. [04:20.32]But criticism is different to violence and destroying public property." [04:26.36]Hussein Banai teaches at Indiana University in the United States. [04:33.68]He told VOA that many earlier protests in Iran [04:38.28]have been led by academics and activists. [04:42.88]This time, he says, working classes are leading the demonstrations. [04:48.44]And they are doing so in a less organized way. [04:53.08]The Trump administration says it is "very concerned" [04:57.28]about Iran blocking its people from communicating [05:01.12]through social media in an effort to weaken the protests. [05:06.56]A State Department official said Tuesday [05:09.80]that the U.S. is urging Iranians to use VPNs, [05:14.88]or virtual private networks, [05:17.28]to get around the government's restrictions. [05:20.80]Iran restricted use of Telegram and Instagram on Sunday. [05:26.28]State media said the moves were meant to keep peace. [05:30.58]Iranians had been using the apps [05:33.80]to communicate about the street demonstrations. [05:37.32]I'm Ashley Thompson. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM