PARIS: President Joe Biden said United States would place “further costs” on Iran for its violent crackdown against nationwide protests sparked by outrage over death of Mahsa Amini. Amini (22) was pronounced dead on September 16, days after notorious morality police detained Kurdish Iranian for allegedly breaching rules forcing women to wear hijab headscarves and modest clothes. Anger over her death has sparked biggest wave of protests to rock Iran in almost three years, with security forces in Tehran cracking down Sunday night on hundreds of university students.

“This week, United States will be imposing further costs on perpetrators of violence against peaceful protestors,” Biden said in a statement. “We will continue holding Iranian officials accountable and supporting rights of Iranians to protest freely.” Biden added he was “gravely concerned” about reports of intensifying repression of protesters and said Washington stood with “all citizens of Iran who are inspiring world with their bravery”.

Biden gave no indication of what measures he was considering. Iran is already under crippling US economic sanctions largely related to its controversial nuclear programme.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre earlier stressed that “problems with Iran’s behaviour” are separate from efforts to revive 2015 nuclear accord, which Washington will pursue “as long as we believe” it is in US national security interests.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had accused arch-foes United States and Israel of fomenting upheaval.

In his first public comments on Amini’s death, 83-year-old Khamenei stressed that police must “stand up to criminals”.

Khamenei said “some people, without proof or an investigation, have made streets dangerous, burned Koran, removed hijabs from veiled women and set fire to masajid and cars”.

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 04 2022

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