Iran rejected as interference in Tehran’s state matters US President Joe Biden’s support of nationwide protests over the death of a woman in police custody, Iranian Students News Agency reported on Sunday.

Commenting on weeks of anti-government protests in Iran ignited by Mahsa Amini’s death on Sept. 16, Reuters reported Biden as saying on Saturday that he was surprised by the courage of the people taking to the streets in protest in Iran.

“On Saturday … Biden interfered in Iran’s state matters by supporting the riots … In recent days, the U.S. administration have tried desperately to inflame unrest in Iran under various excuses ,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said, ISNA reported.

The protests have posed one of the most serious challenges to Iran since the 1979 revolution, with demonstrations spreading across the country and some people