US President Joe Biden pledges solidarity with Iran women amid anti-hijab protests

US President Joe Biden has pledged solidarity with Iranian women amid the nationwide anti-hijab protests.

US President Joe Biden pledged solidarity with Iranian women as eight people were reported killed in massive protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the country’s "morality police" for violating the Islamic nation's conservative dress code.

Addressing the United Nations shortly after a defiant speech by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Biden saluted the protesters while renewing his support for reviving a nuclear accord with Tehran.

"Today we stand with the brave citizens and the brave women of Iran who right now are demonstrating to secure their basic rights," Biden told the General Assembly.

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Iranian authorities and a Kurdish rights group reported rising death tolls as protests entered the fifth day and fresh restrictions were placed on social media.

The unrest in Tehran has now risen to another level with a video going viral of a woman chopping her hair in public in the capital. Upon seeing this, several women on social media started uploading their videos of chopping off hair and setting their hijabs on fire.

Amini’s death for "unsuitable attire" attracted strong ire as, in recent years, millions of Iranian women have opposed the law which makes the hijab compulsory for women in Iran. Under Iran's sharia (Islamic) law, imposed after the 1979 revolution, women are obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes to disguise their figures. Violators face public rebuke, fines, or arrest. The morality police are charged with enforcing that and other restrictions, which have been criticized in recent years, especially for its treatment of young women.