The White House has said that the United States stands with the people of Iran, stressing they should have the right to freedom of expression, and calling on the Iranian regime to “end its use of violence against its own citizens.”
“We stand with all the citizens of Iran who are inspiring the world with their bravery, and we will continue to stand with them,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.
“Women and men in Iran should have the right to freedom of expression and assembly. Women should be able to wear what they want, free from violence or harassment.”
“Iran must end its use of violence against its own citizens simply for exercising their fundamental freedoms, their fundamental rights,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.
She said the US will continue to take action to hold Iranian officials accountable and support the rights of Iranians to protest freely.
She added that Washington will “be imposing further costs on those perpetrators of violence against peaceful protesters.”
Demonstrators have been protesting for the past three weeks against Iran's government after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iranian Kurdistan, who was arrested on Sept. 13 in Tehran for "unsuitable attire" by the morality police and died in custody.