Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor, has blamed the Iranian authorities for the death of a 16-year-old in the hands of hijab enforcers.

In his statement on X, Sullivan said, "I am deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Armita Geravand, who was brutally beaten by Iran's morality police for not conforming to public hijab mandates. The state-sponsored violence against its own citizens in Iran is abhorrent and underscores the vulnerability of the regime."

The incident occurred on October 1 when Armita fell into a coma after an altercation with hijab enforcers in the Tehran subway. Despite the Iranian government's efforts to obscure the details of the confrontation, it appears that she was forcibly pushed by a female agent, resulting in a severe head injury. Her death was subsequently confirmed by Iranian state media on Saturday.

There has been a national outpouring of grief for her death which echoed the death of Mahsa Amini last year in morality police custody. Videos received by Iran International showed protesters in Ekbatan, located in the west of Tehran, chanting slogans like "Death to the dictator" and "Death to Khamenei the murderer" on Sunday night. Similar protest slogans were reported in other parts of Iran on the same night, including Mashhad, Shiraz, Karaj, and Sari.

Additionally, Iranians living abroad have shown their solidarity by participating in gatherings in Toronto and London, where they voiced their opposition to the continued repressive policies of the Islamic Republic.