Iran’s former foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, stirred controversy by claiming that American student protestors were “brutalized” by US security forces.
“American student protestors being brutalized by US security forces have a much greater claim to protecting Palestinians than the Custodians of Holy Mosques,” he wrote in his Sunday tweet.
However, Zarif’s comments quickly sparked outrage on social media, particularly in light of recent revelations concerning the sexual assault and murder of 16-year-old Nika Shakarami by agents of the Islamic Republic. Critics accuse Zarif of being complicit in the crimes of the regime he once represented.
Ashkan Kalashy, responding to Zarif’s post, highlighted the hypocrisy of his statement: “Seriously? You were the foreign minister of one of the most brutal regimes in the world. During your tenure, more than 1,500 protesters were killed in less than a week. How can you talk about US students with a straight face?”
Another user predicted Zarif’s imminent accountability in court for his involvement in the regime’s actions against humanity.
“Javad you are finished. You will be very soon seen in courts for being a partner in crime of IR devastating acts against humanity. We will take back our lovely IRAN from you occupiers. You came to an end, you are finished Javad,” he wrote.
The conversations reveal a deep-seated resentment towards a figure once seen as the diplomatic face of Iran.
Pro-Palestinian student protests across the US have been manipulated by the regime to reinforce its anti-Israel rhetoric. American students have been organizing rallies and sit-ins, pushing their institutions to disclose and divest from investments associated with Israel.
Iranian officials have expressed support for the protesters, which has cast a spotlight on the Iranian regime’s apparent hypocrisy. While the regime publicly champions the freedom of expression of American students, it simultaneously suppresses the voices of its own citizens who dare to speak out.
