Washington: In honour of the Iranian women and girls who protested on the streets of Iran after Mahsa Amini, 22, died last year, President Joe Biden used a White House event to celebrate the Persian New Year on Monday. He also vowed to continue to put pressure on Tehran.

Biden expressed his hope that the Nowruz holiday, also known as the Festival of Fire and associated with the Zoroastrian religion, would provide "hope for the women of Iran fighting for their human rights and fundamental freedoms." Nowruz is a nearly 4,000-year-old custom.

Biden referred to the reception as the largest White House Nowruz celebration to date, saying, "The United States stands with those brave women and all the Iranian citizens who are inspiring the world with their conviction."

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For their violent crackdown, the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom have imposed a number of new sanctions on a number of Iranian officials and organisations, including the nation's special military and police forces.

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When Amini passed away in mid-September after being detained by Iran's morality police for allegedly breaking the Islamic Republic's strict dress code, the demonstrations got underway. One of Iran's theocracy's biggest challenges since the 1979 revolution comes in the form of the protests.

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