What began as demonstrations expressing concern over Iran’s economic condition quickly turned into an open rebellion against the country’s Islamic leadership in what is the “largest outpouring of government opposition since the volatile 2009 presidential elections,” according to The Washington Post.

The anti-government protests, which first started in small towns across the country, intensified rapidly before dwindling in early January. Many were killed, injured and arrested as they protested against the corrupt Iranian regime.

Iran has historically provided weapons, funding and training to terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian groups in Gaza and numerous groups in Iraq, Syria and throughout the Middle East.

With this history, the country has been defined as the top state sponsor of terrorism since 1984, according to the U.S. State Department’s annual Country Reports on Terrorism.

“To designate a country as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, the Secretary of State must determine that the government of such country has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism,” the report said.

In addition to being the top state sponsor of terrorism, the Open Doors 2018 World Watch List,which tracks persecuted Christians throughout the world, ranked Iran as the tenth worst in countries where Christians face and suffer extreme persecution.

Many of the terror attacks carried out by groups supported by Iran have involved the killing of Christians.