Several members of the US Congress talked to Iran International about the ongoing unrest in Iran, calling on the Biden administration for a more active response to the crackdown on the popular protests.

Congressman Pete Aguilar said on Tuesday that “Peaceful protesters in any corner of the globe should not be killed, threatened, intimidated, beaten,” adding that the United States has “an obligation, hopefully through diplomatic channels to address” such protests.

The Democrat representative from California added, “The Biden administration needs to work through diplomatic channels to convey what is important. And it's important that people exercise and have the ability to exercise their rights.”

Iowa’s Republican Senator Joni Ernst told Iran International that the authorities in Iran have to “pay attention to the needs of their people... to how are they providing for their people in need”.

Urging the Biden administration “to step up” efforts in support of the protests, she said, “I don't think there has been enough attention paid to the situation.”

Massachusetts’ Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren expressed hope that Iranians can build a government that better reflects the needs of the people, and that they will be a force for greater stability in the region. “Obviously the current government is not headed in that direction,” she said.

“There is a lot of energy from many people in the country who would like to see change,” Warren added.

After US State Department spokesman Ned Price voiced support for protesters in Iran, another spokesman condemned the use of violence to crack down on the protests, which began on May 6 as the government drastically raised food prices, leaving tens of millions of Iranians in danger of facing hunger.