Iran deplores US crackdown on protesters after murdering black man

TEHRAN, May 30 (MNA) – Iran has strongly denounced the United States' violent crackdown on the African-American protesters who poured into streets this week following the recent murder of a black man by a white police officer in Minneapolis. “Iran regrets the tragic murder of black Americans, denounces deadly racial profiling in the United States & urges authorities to do justice for every case,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a tweet on Friday, incorporating an intercut of videos showing the police violently confronting the protesters. “The protesters' voice must be heard. In doing so, suppressing the suffering Americans & press freedom must URGENTLY be stopped,” the ministry added. The tweet came three days after disturbing footage surfaced online showing the police officer, Derek Chauvin, choking unarmed George Floyd to death after forcing him to the ground and pinning him down with his knee. The officer refused to relieve the pressure, although Floyd was being heard repeatedly pleading for his life and saying, “I can’t breathe.” Floyd’s death has been followed by protests across the country. Rallies have turned violent in Los Angeles and Minneapolis, where the police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets against the demonstrators.