WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- The Senate reintroduced a bipartisan resolution in support of violent riots in Iran just a day after the House of Representatives passed a concurrent resolution.
Sen. Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was among the group of senators reintroducing the resolution on Thursday, saying in a release that he was proud to be joined by his colleagues in “commending the bravery” of rioters.
Sen. Jim Risch Risch and Menendez were joined by Marsha Blackburn, Chris Coons, and James Lankford, along with 28 other Senate colleagues, in reintroducing the anti-Iran resolution.
Rep. Claudia Tenney introduced the resolution on Wednesday and also called on the Biden administration to “do more” to confront Iran. The resolution was passed 420-1, with Rep. Thomas Massie casting the lone “no” vote.
The lawmaker said he opposed the resolution “because it encourages the immediate imposition of sanctions.”
Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the measure strongly reaffirms U.S. support for rioters and that Washington must fully enforce all of its existing sanctions to ensure Tehran “is held accountable.”
Riots broke out in Iran in mid-September after the death of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old fainted at a police station in Tehran and was pronounced dead three days later in hospital. An official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization concluded that Amini’s death was caused by illness rather than alleged blows to the head or other vital body organs.
Iran’s intelligence community has said several countries, including the United States and Britain, have used their spy and propaganda apparatuses to provoke violent riots in the country. London, in particular, is home to several anti-Iran TV networks, including Iran International, Manoto, and BBC Persian, which broadcast a steady stream of misinformation encouraging the Iranian youth to join the rioters during the recent wave of unrest.
Rioters went on a rampage, brutally attacking security officers and causing massive damage to public property. Dozens of people and security personnel were killed in the riots.