Iran’s Zarif Blasts US Disregard for ‘Non-Use of Force’ Principle amid Protests
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed the US government for continuing to use lethal force against protesters in Portland, Oregon.
"’All options on the table’ has long been a staple of US foreign policy. It simply means the law of the jungle: disregard for a fundamental principle of int'l law: Non-Use of Force. Now, the Trump regime is using the same threat against Americans. A wake-up call? God willing,” Zarif said in a post on his Twitter account on Sunday.
It came after US acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told ABC earlier on Sunday that “all options continue to be on the table” to resolve what he called “violent” protests in Portland, including sending in federal law enforcement assistance.
Portland has been the scene of angry protests against police injustice and racial discrimination since May, when George Floyd, a black American, was killed by a white police officer in Minnesota.
Tensions in the city intensified in July after the Trump administration deployed federal agents to crack down on the protests.
On Saturday, one person was killed after clashes broke out between Black Lives Matter protesters and supporters of Trump, who is blamed for a rise in racism.
The New York Times reported that supporters of Trump and counter-protesters engaged in skirmishes on the streets, with people shooting paint ball guns from the beds of pickup trucks and protesters throwing objects back at them.
