US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, October 14, deemed
the ongoing protests in Iran "
remarkable ", when he received members of the Iranian diaspora in Washington.
Opening a meeting at the State Department, signaling the United States' public support for the protesters, Antony Blinken hailed "
the remarkable courage across Iran shown by women, young people and many others to defend their fundamental rights which the Iranian regime continues to deprive them of
”.
Outrage over the September 16 death of 22-year-old Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini, three days after her arrest for dress code violations, has sparked the largest wave of protests in Iran since the 2019 protests against the rise in the price of gasoline.
“Spontaneous wave of anger”
“
I think we are witnessing something remarkable across the country, led primarily by women and young people
,” added the head of American diplomacy in reference to “
this wave of spontaneous anger
”.
Antony Blinken was accompanied by State Department number two Wendy Sherman and US Iranian nuclear negotiator Rob Malley.
Read alsoIran denounces Macron's "interference" after his support for the demonstrations
Participants in the meeting included actress Nazanin Boniadi, writer Roya Hakakian and rights defenders including Sherry Hakimi.
“
We were unanimous in suggesting that they cease nuclear negotiations until the violence ceases.
And I think everyone heard us loud and
clear,” Roya Hakakian told NPR radio after the game.
On Thursday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the United States still wanted to conclude the nuclear deal but deemed such a scenario "
unlikely in the short term
".
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday accused the United States of carrying out "
a policy of destabilization
" against the Islamic Republic.
“
If that's the case, if they really think that, then they basically don't understand their own people
,” Antony Blinken retorted on Friday.
The United States announced economic sanctions on October 6 against seven senior Iranian officials for their role in suppressing protests, following a first salvo of sanctions announced on September 22 against Iranian morality police and several security officials.
