Richard Grenell, a prominent foreign policy adviser and close associate of former US President Donald Trump, has publicly expressed support for the ongoing protests in Iran. In a social media post highlighted by The Washington Blade, a leading US LGBTQ+ publication, Grenell stated he was encouraged to see Iranians speaking out against human rights abuses.

In the post, which has garnered over 25,000 likes, Grenell also made the personal claim that he had previously assisted in covertly helping "gays and lesbians" escape the theocratic state. He suggested that attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people within Iran are shifting amid the widespread civil unrest.

The protests, which have been reported across all 31 of Iran's provinces including the capital Tehran, were initially sparked by a severe economic crisis. The collapse in value of the national currency, the rial, has made basic necessities like bread, rice, meat and medical supplies increasingly unaffordable for much of the country's population of over 90 million.

Time magazine has linked the uprising to the re-imposition of United Nations sanctions in September, related to the country's nuclear programme. As the financial pressure mounts, public demonstrations have evolved into a broader pushback against Iran's governing regime.