Whereas, on December 28, 2017, Iranian citizens initiated protests objecting to the system of entrenched corruption and impoverishment in Iran, as well as the Government of Iran's foreign policy of supporting terrorism; Whereas these protests began in the city of Mashhad and rapidly spread throughout urban and rural populations across Iran; Whereas these protests constitute the most significant anti-government protests in Iran since June 2009; Whereas reports indicate that Iranian citizens have expressed numerous economic grievances, including the regime’s widespread corruption and investment of resources in regional conflicts; Whereas reports indicate that many hundreds of Iranians have been arrested and dozens killed in connection with the protests; Whereas the Government of Iran has shut down mobile internet access and is working to block access to social media applications used to organize and publicize the protests; Whereas online social networking and information sharing sites such as Telegram, Instagram, and Twitter have been blocked; Whereas the Government of Iran has routinely violated the human rights of its citizens, including ongoing, systematic, and serious restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly and association and freedom of opinion and expression, including the continuing closures of media outlets, arrests of journalists, and the censorship of expression in online forums such as blogs and websites; Whereas the 2016 Department of State Human Rights Report on Iran noted severe restrictions on civil liberties, including the freedoms of assembly, association, speech, religion, and press. Other human rights problems included abuse of due process combined with use of capital punishment for crimes that do not meet the requirements of due process, as well as cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; and disregard for the physical integrity of persons, whom authorities arbitrarily and unlawfully detained, tortured, or killed.