Tehran slams U.S. for "hypocritical" claim of supporting Iranian women

TEHRAN, March 21 (Xinhua) -- An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman on Tuesday slammed the U.S. government's claim of supporting Iranian women as "fake," amid intensified U.S. sanctions against the people of the Islamic republic.

Nasser Kanaani made the remarks in a Twitter post on the first day of the celebrations of Nowruz, Iran's new year, in response to a message by U.S. President Joe Biden to congratulate Iranians on the occasion.

"Hostility" toward Iran and its people is an "established" part of the U.S. government's foreign policy, which is evident in their officials' Nowruz messages every year, said Kanaani.

The U.S. government and its anti-Iran leaders' "hypocrisy and hostility" are evident as they have "fake" claims of supporting Iranian women while concurrently keeping in place and intensifying the "cruel" sanctions against Iranians, he noted.

In Biden's message, he said that Iranian women "are fighting for their human rights and fundamental freedoms," and voiced "support" for them as well as the country's people.