Iran's president on Friday said that the country had been freed by the 1979 Islamic revolution in response to a vow by US president Joe Biden to "free Iran".
“Maybe he said this because of a lack of concentration...He said we aim to liberate Iran," Iran president Ebrahim Raisi said in a televised speech.
Read more: 'Don't worry, we're gonna free Iran': Joe Biden on anti-hijab protests
“Mr. President! Iran was liberated 43 years ago, and it’s determined not to become your captive again. We will never become a milk cow,” he added.
The remarks come amid nationwide demonstrations across Iran which were triggered following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran's controversial morality police.
Read more: Explained: Iran's morality police, hijab and violent protests over woman's death
The protests that have continued for seven weeks were ignited in September have shown no signs of abating even after repeated warnings from Iran's government.
As Iran's crackdown on protesters turned deadly, more than 2,000 academics from universities across the US wrote to Joe Biden urging him to take more action. The academics called for “urgent attention to a dire situation in Iranian universities,” and asked Joe Biden to take “further tangible actions".
{{/usCountry}}As Iran's crackdown on protesters turned deadly, more than 2,000 academics from universities across the US wrote to Joe Biden urging him to take more action. The academics called for “urgent attention to a dire situation in Iranian universities,” and asked Joe Biden to take “further tangible actions".
{{/usCountry}}Read more: Amid anti-hijab protests Iran may be planning attack, Saudi Arabia tells US
Earlier, US president Joe Biden vowed to "free" Iran adding that the protesters would soon succeed in freeing themselves.
"Don't worry, we're gonna free Iran. They’re gonna free themselves pretty soon," Joe Biden said at a campaign rally.