TOP US politician Newt Gingrich has slammed European powers over their response to protests in Iran.

Angry demonstrations over unemployment and food prices in the Middle Eastern country quickly spiralled last month, with marchers calling for the collapse of the ruling Islamic regime.

But while US President Donald Trump threw his weight behind the protestors, saying he had such “respect” for them, most European leaders didn’t immediately comment on the widespread protests.

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PROTESTS: Demonstrations spread across the country as people protested the regime

Angry demonstrations over unemployment and food prices in the Middle Eastern country quickly spiralled last month, with marchers calling for the collapse of the ruling Islamic regime.

But while US President Donald Trump threw his weight behind the protestors, saying he had such “respect” for them, most European leaders didn’t immediately comment on the widespread protests.

French President Emmanuel Macron even accused Trump of putting the United States on a “path to war” with Iran over his comments.

But Mr Gingrich, who is a White House advisor, accused Europe of basically burying its head in the sand over the unrest in Iran.

He told Daily Star Online: “Some European countries have finally begun to admit and say publicly how bad it is, but I think there’s still a tendency in Europe to hide from reality if they think it’s going to cost them jobs.”

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He also said Trump’s hardline approach to Iran is showing is strong leadership, adding: “(Former President) Obama’s policy was a fantasy based on a belief that there was a good dictatorship if only we paid them enough money and Trump’s policies are a much more realistic assessment that this is a bad dictatorship that does bad things and that we have to be in favour of changing it.

“Trump actually believes in leading from the front, not leading from the rear.”

Mr Gingrich was speaking to Daily Star Online in Paris yesterday at a conference organised by the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI) – the exiled Iranian opposition group.

Praising the PMOI, which was instrumental in exposing Iran’s nuclear programme back in 2002, Mr Gingrich described the regime as fearful of PMOI leader Maryam Rajavi.

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“There’s still a tendency in Europe to hide from reality if they think it’s going to cost them jobs”

Newt Gingrich

The former speaker of the US House of Representatives explained: “The MEK/PMOI is clearly the largest resistance organisation and deserves respect and I think the fact Khamenei (Iran’s supreme leader) appealed to President Macron to curtail Mrs Rajavi, by itself is pretty good evidence that the dictatorship thinks they’re effective.”

He has called on the United States to help protestors trying to organise demonstrations after Iranian officials tried to block the internet.

“I think the United States should adopt a strategy of maximising the ability of the protestors to organise and communicate no matter what the Iranian dictatorship does to try and cut off their telecommunications,” he said.

“I would be very surprised if the dictatorship survives another generation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it survived another four-five years.

“Our job is to apply the maximum pressure to recruit the young people, to empower the young people and do everything we can to help them be effective and to help them survive.

“I think the level [the uprisings] delegitimised the dictatorship was very real.”

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OPPOSITION: Newt Gingrich praised PMOI leader Maryam Rajavi