TEHRAN - Mohammad Jamshidi, the deputy chief of staff for political affairs under President Raisi, has voiced criticism over the presence of American snipers at Indiana University amid recent anti-genocide protests in U.S. universities.

In a Twitter statement on Monday, Jamshidi highlighted the deployment of snipers at Indiana University, accompanied by campus officials, as they moved towards demonstrations against genocide. 

He underscored the stark contrast in reactions that would likely occur if such an act of intimidation took place in other nations, emphasizing the hypothetical media uproar and relentless condemnation.

“These are snipers at Indiana University heading towards the anti-genocide protests and escorted by campus officials. If this ugly act of intimidation took place at any university in a so-called adversary country, imagine the media response. Imagine the endless condemnations," Jamshidi stated.

The protests have rippled beyond American shores, with over 20 U.S. universities and several European counterparts galvanizing against the Washington-backed Israeli aggression, which has exacted a toll of over 34,000 lives since October. 

At Columbia University, a formidable "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" has taken root, with impassioned students clamoring for the institution to divest from companies entangled with the Israeli regime. Similar fervor has ignited protests across MIT, New York University, the University of Michigan, and Yale, with the latter institution indicating potential disciplinary actions against arrested students.

The overarching demand resonating from these protests is a call for universities to sever ties with entities complicit in furthering the occupying regime’s agenda in Palestinian territories under siege. Indeed, these encampments and the global pro-Palestinian rallies stand as a testament to the reverberations of Operation Al Aqsa Storm penetrating the heart of the United States.

Yet, amidst the worldwide displays of solidarity, authorities have responded with draconian measures, resulting in the arrests of hundreds of protesters across university campuses. 

President Joe Biden's denunciation of these protests, coupled with the unwavering support extended to Israel, underscores the entrenched complicity of the United States in perpetuating the cycle of violence and oppression in the region.

On Sunday, Iranian students rallied behind the burgeoning encampments emerging across American universities, echoing resolute support for the besieged Palestinians in Gaza and vehemently demanding an immediate cessation of Tel Aviv’s democidal campaign within the enclave.

Condemnation echoed across Iranian academic circles as students, professors, and university staff congregated on their respective campuses post-noon prayer on Sunday.
 
Their unified stance aimed squarely at decrying the flagrant crimes and atrocities perpetrated by the Israeli regime in Gaza over the past seven months.