Tasnim � Secretary of Iran�s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said the signs of decline of the �Great Satan� have become more obvious in the wake of anti-violence protests that have forced the US president to take shelter in the White House basement.

In a post on his Twitter account on Monday, Shamkhani referred to the current protests in the United States following the killing of an unarmed African-American citizen at the hands of police and US President Donald Trump�s fear of the protesters as evidence of decline of the US.

�The big lie about democracy and freedom was laid bare after Trump�s escape to the basement of the White House for fear of the American people. The signs of decline of the Great Satan have become more evident,� he added.

Shamkhani further said that Iran�s success in dispatching oil tankers to Venezuela through the Caribbean Sea dispelled the myth that the US is a superpower and thwarted its threat of war, terror and sanctions.

The United States has been gripped by protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died last week in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and police brutality nationwide.

Trump has made no major public statement to address the growing crisis but has issued a flurry of tweets, describing protesters as "thugs" and urging mayors and governors to "get tough." He has also threatened to utilize the US military, but his national security adviser on Sunday said the administration would not yet invoke federal control over the National Guard.