In a post on X on Tuesday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani slammed a ruling by an Orange County Superior Court judge late on Friday that forced thousands of academic workers of the University of California to end their strike and return to their jobs on Monday.

They were striking and demonstrating at six campuses against administrators’ response to pro-Palestinian protests. 

The difference between slogans and actions; Violation of the “right of freedom of speech and opinion” in the United States by issuing an American court order to stop the anti-Israel protests (strikes) of University of California students,” the Iranian official said.

Kan’ani said, “Officials of the University of California Student Union believe that the court’s order to forcefully stop the strike by university students and employees in support of Palestine is invalid.”

In recent weeks, unionized academic researchers, graduate teaching assistants and post-doctoral scholars went on a strike over unfair labor practices in the university's handling of pro-Palestinian protest rallies.