WASHINGTON: The United States warned Iranian officials Thursday that protesters jailed or killed in a crackdown on anti-government demonstrations will 鈥渘ot be forgotten.鈥�
鈥淲e condemn in the strongest possible terms the deaths to date and the arrests of at least one thousand Iranians,鈥� State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
鈥淲e have ample authorities to hold accountable those who commit violence against protesters, contribute to censorship, or steal from the people of Iran,鈥� she said.
鈥淭o the regime鈥檚 victims, we say: 鈥榊ou will not be forgotten鈥�.鈥�
Popular unrest flared in Iran last month and at least 21 people are known to have died in clashes between demonstrators and the Islamic republic鈥檚 security forces.
Washington, a long-standing foe of Tehran, has stood up for the protesters鈥� right to be heard, and Nauert has now gone further in endorsing what she said were their demands.
鈥淲e support these legitimate aspirations of the Iranian people, and call on the government to allow the free exchange of ideas and information,鈥� she said.
鈥淎ll of us should be able to enjoy the same basic economic and political freedoms, including the right to peaceful demonstration.鈥�
Iranian officials now claim to have the crisis under control and state television is carrying footage of pro-government counter demonstrations in several cities.