U.S. State Department spokesperson, Heather Nauert has called on Iran to show tolerance towards religious minorities.
She tweeted on October 29, which is Cyrus Day, asking the Islamic Republic to follow the example of the first Achaemenid king, who is known to have protected the religious freedom of numerous groups and nationalities in his vast empire, around 500 BC.
Although Iran officially recognizes traditional Christian churches, Judaism and the ancient Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism as official minority religions, it persecutes others; such as Baha’is, Moslems who convert to Christianity and Islamic sects, such as Dervishes.
Iran’s Islamic government has been regularly condemned in the past three decades by international organizations and Western governments for its violations of human rights, including persecution of religious minorities.
