Biden pays tribute to Iranian women protesters at Nowruz event

President says US will continue holding 'Iranian officials accountable for their attacks against their people'

US President Joe Biden greets musician Sahba Motallebi and Iranian-US singer-songwriter Rana Mansour during the Nowruz reception in the White House on Monday. AFP

US President Joe Biden used a White House event for the Iranian New Year on Monday to pay tribute to the country's women and girls who have been taking to the streets of Iran in protest.

Female Iranian demonstrators have been holding rallies since the September 16 death in police custody last year of Mahsa Amini, 22. Mr Biden pledged to keep pressure on Tehran.

He said he hoped the Nowruz holiday — a nearly 4,000-year-old tradition known as the Festival of Fire, which is linked to the Zoroastrian religion — would be a moment of “hope for the women of Iran fighting for their human rights and fundamental freedoms".

“The United States stands with those brave women and all the citizens of Iran who are inspiring the world with their conviction,” Mr Biden said.

“We’re going to continue to hold Iranian officials accountable for their attacks against their people.”

He said the reception was the biggest White House Nowruz celebration so far.

The US, Europe and the UK have imposed new sanctions on dozens of Iranian officials and organisations, including the country’s special military and police forces, for their violent clampdown.

The protests began in mid-September when Kurdish-Iranian Ms Amini died after being arrested by Iran’s morality police for wearing her hijab "improperly".

The protests are one of the biggest challenges to Iran's regime since the 1979 revolution.