Trump believes it's time for change in Iran

SUPPORT: US President Donald Trump gives his support to the protesters in Iran on Monday and thinks it's time for change

US President Donald Trump gave his support to the protesters in Iran on Monday. So far, twelve confirmed died in the demonstrations and several hundred were arrested.

Iranian TV reports twelve dead since demonstrations in Iran began in the country's second largest city, Mashhad, Thursday.

It reports the news agency AP early Monday afternoon.

Hundreds of people have since been arrested. According to state television, Iranian security forces have turned back to "armed protesters" who attempted to take over police stations and military bases.

The people protest against President Hassan Rouhani and his government, and some protest against the country's supreme leader and spiritual head, Ayatolla Ali Khamenei.

Trump has been behind strong financial sanctions against the country and is critical to the sitting government. Monday he gave his support to the protesters.

• Iran fails at all levels. Time is changing, he twisted.

The president warns the protesters

• Iran's people are free to demonstrate. Public authorities and institutions must have room for criticism, Rouhani said on Sunday, but warned people not to use violence.

The president acknowledged that people are dissatisfied with the shocking economy of the Islamic Republic, but stressed at the same time that the government would not hesitate to use power over those they consider to be offenders.

The Iranian authorities blocked New Year's Eve the Social Media Instagram and Telegram. Monday, users can reuse the platforms, according to the news agency DPA.

The news portal Aftabnews announced Sunday that around 100 protesters should be arrested in the city of Arak, 240 kilometers southwest of the capital Tehran. According to unconfirmed messages transmitted on the internet, between 100 and 800 people have been arrested in connection with the demonstrations.

Earlier Monday, an Iranian electorate said two people were shot and killed in demonstrations in the city of Izeh, southwest of the country. So far, demonstrations have also been reported in Kermanshah and Khorramabad west of Iran, Shahinshahr in the northwest and Zanjan in the north.

It is expected that Iranian electorate members will be gathered for a speedy meeting on the situation during Monday.

Experts: - Rouhani's project is falling apart
The demonstrations in Iran began Thursday, as protests against rising prices and high unemployment, but they have evolved into more extensive protests against President Hassan Rouhani and his government.

"The problem is the economy, and Rouhani's government has not been popular. Unemployment is a huge problem. Inflation is devastating to the vast majority. There have been so many things that have happened to upset people, says religious historian and middle east expert Kari Vogt at the University of Oslo to NTB Monday.

Vogt believes that the situation we are now seeing in Iran must be seen in light of what is happening in the Middle East in general.

• Iran is in many ways the enemy of powerful superpowers - superpowers like the United States and Saudi Arabia. Rouhanis diplomats have made a successful effort to make America's sanctions related to nuclear policy raised. This opened up new opportunities on the economic front, and the opening has now been jeopardized, partly because the United States maintains its sanction policy.

Senior researcher Kjetil Selvik of the Norwegian Foreign Policy Institute (NUPI) shares Vogt's view of the growing dissatisfaction with the president's government. He believes the demonstrations in Iran can lead to a significant weakening of today's government.

"Rouhani's political project has been to be a moderating force in the Iranian regime, but it is difficult to carry out such a project when shooting in the streets. The regime as such will probably last. Iran has an extremely strong security device that does not hesitate to use power, says Selvik to NTB.