Iran rejects Washington’s meddling, asks US to protect Americans’ rights

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham described Saturday’s statement issued by the US State Department spokeswoman as an example of interference in Iran’s domestic affairs.

Afkham said the statement violates the commitments of the US government under the Algiers Accord and is a clear example of meddling in Iran’s internal affairs.

US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki in a statement on Saturday called for the release of a number of Iranian prisoners.

Afkham said that instead of making such irrelevant remarks about other countries, US officials had better pay attention to the growing concerns raised by independent sources about violation of citizens’ rights in the United States and take necessary steps to prevent tragedies like the recent killing of three American Muslim students.

Newlywed Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, a University of North Carolina dental student, his wife, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, a student at North Carolina State University, were killed on Tuesday, February 10, in a condominium about two miles (three km) from the UNC campus.

The brutal killings, said to have been motivated by hatred toward the victims because they were Muslim, provoked widespread reaction by both Muslims and non-Muslims inside and outside the US.