Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement Sunday regarding last week's attempt on the life of author and free speech activist Salman Rushdie.
The statement, after extolling Rushdie's virtues as someone who "has consistently stood up for the universal rights of freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief and freedom of the press," noted that Iranian state institutions have encouraged violence against Rushdie for many years and that Iranian state-affiliated media recently gloated about the assassination attempt.
“This is despicable,” the statement continued.
Blinken's statement concludes by saying that the United States and its allies will always be determined to stand up to these threats, adding that Rushdie's strength, as well as the strength of everyone who has been threatened for standing up for these universal rights, "underscores the imperative of standing united as an international community against those who would challenge these universal rights."