Ted Deutch: “I thank my friend from Minnesota for yielding. I appreciate the kind words of the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs…”

“I thank my friend from Minnesota for yielding. I appreciate the kind words of the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I appreciate his leadership. Special thanks, as well, to the ranking member of the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism Subcommittee, Mr. Wilson, for his leadership on these issues and his commitment to standing up for the Iranian people. In mid-November, popular protests against the Iranian regime began and rapidly spread to at least 100 cities throughout the country, in the most significant anti-government protests in Iran since 2009. While protesters took to the streets in response to an increase in fuel prices, they also called for structural reform of the Iranian political system. They condemned current and former leaders. In response, Iranian authorities shut down the internet. Security forces used lethal force, killing hundreds of people, marking the highest casualty rate of any protest movement in Iran since the Islamic revolution 4 decades ago. And they arrested over 7,000 more. Protesters returned earlier this month after Iran shot down Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 as it took off from Tehran's International Airport, killing all 176 people on board, and then tried to cover it up. The Iranians in the streets were frustrated by the regime's lies, frustrated by their incompetence, and chanted against the IRGC and against the Supreme Leader.…”