The Biden administration's U.S. virtual embassy to Iran shared a post featuring a quote from Vice President Kamala Harris across multiple social media platforms this week that many critics lambasted as an "insult to all Americans."

The United States has not had a diplomatic presence in Iran since the 444-day hostage crisis where Iranians sieged and captured the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979 and detained over 50 hostages.

The U.S. instead has a virtual embassy to Iran, which touts itself as "the primary official resource for the Iranian people to get information directly from the U.S. government about U.S. policy and American values and culture." It adds, "But, in the absence of direct contact, we hope it can serve as a bridge between the American and Iranian people."

On Wednesday, the U.S. virtual embassy to Iran posted a quote from Vice President Harris to its social media accounts, including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

The post includes a photo of Vice President Harris with her quote that was written in Farsi, and translated says:

The truth is: There is segregation in America. Xenophobia exists in America. Antisemitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, all exist. Wherever injustice is dealt with, there is activity ahead.

.@VP: \u062d\u0642\u06cc\u0642\u062a \u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u0627\u0633\u062a: \u062a\u0628\u0639\u06cc\u0636 \u0646\u0698\u0627\u062f\u06cc \u062f\u0631 \u0622\u0645\u0631\u06cc\u06a9\u0627 \u0648\u062c\u0648\u062f \u062f\u0627\u0631\u062f. \u0628\u06cc\u06af\u0627\u0646\u0647 \u0633\u062a\u06cc\u0632\u06cc \u062f\u0631 \u0622\u0645\u0631\u06cc\u06a9\u0627 \u0648\u062c\u0648\u062f \u062f\u0627\u0631\u062f. \u06cc\u0647\u0648\u062f \u0633\u062a\u06cc\u0632\u06cc\u060c \u0627\u0633\u0644\u0627\u0645 \u0647\u0631\u0627\u0633\u06cc\u060c \u0647\u0645\u062c\u0646\u0633\u06af\u0631\u0627 \u0647\u0631\u0627\u0633\u06cc\u060c \u062a\u0631\u0646\u0633 \u0647\u0631\u0627\u0633\u06cc\u060c \u0647\u0645\u0647 \u0648\u062c\u0648\u062f \u062f\u0627\u0631\u0646\u062f. \u0631\u0633\u06cc\u062f\u06af\u06cc \u0628\u0647 \u0628\u06cc \u0639\u062f\u0627\u0644\u062a\u06cc \u0647\u0631\u06a9\u062c\u0627 \u06a9\u0647 \u0628\u0627\u0634\u062f\u060c \u0641\u0639\u0627\u0644\u06cc\u062a \u067e\u06cc\u0634 \u0631\u0648\u0633\u062a.pic.twitter.com/mF14nwl9CZ

— USAbehFarsi (@USAbehFarsi) 1645027386

The original Harris quote was said in May during the ceremony to mark President Joe Biden signing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, the White House confirmed to the New York Post.

In January, the U.S. Department of State used the quote on its social media platforms to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

.@VP on injustice: "Here's the truth: Racism exists in America. Xenophobia exists in America. Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, it all exists. The work to address injustice wherever it exists remains the work ahead."pic.twitter.com/QTCAQ6hERy

— Department of State (@Department of State) 1642453201

The tweet from the U.S. virtual embassy to Iran using the vice president's quote was vehemently denounced by many online.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: "For Vice President Harris to suggest moral equivalence between the Iranian regime's desire to eliminate Israel and a national policy of gender apartheid with American equality under the law is truly dangerous and ungrounded in reality. Americans are better than this."

Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich: "Why would VP Kamala Harris tweet this to Iran? What level of hating America does it take for the vice president to attack her own country."

Fellow at the Independent Women's Forum Ellie Cohanim: "This is *appalling* coming from a USG account. Why is the US @VP messaging as do America’s worst enemies? This is demeaning to Iranians who are being executed for being gay, oppressed for being Jewish…and an insult to all Americans!"

Former Congressman Scott Taylor: "We have democracy, freedom of speech, rule of law and equality under it. We have the ability to move towards a more perfect union. None of this is true in Iran. This is a disgraceful tweet by our vice president."

Iranian-American journalist Karmel Melamed: "MORE GARBAGE from the @StateDept Persian lang handle. Instead of calling out Jew-hatred, misogyny, anti-gay beliefs & overall bigotry of the Ayatollah regime, these fools call America xenophobic, Islamophobic, etc. Wake up CLOWNS, when will you focus on mullahs' evil?! SMH."

Iranian-American activist Mariam Memarsadeghi: "There’s constant reason Iranians across the political spectrum are insulted and irate at Biden’s Iran policy: the admin actively seeks ways to minimize their oppression, even suggesting moral equivalence between the grotesque, systematic inequality they suffer and life in America."

Former Senior Advisor for Public Affairs in the Iran Action Group for the U.S. Department of State Len Khodorkovsky: "Posting this from the @StateDept’s Farsi channel knowing full well it will arm the Iranian regime, the world’s top sponsor of terrorism and sworn enemy of the United States, with propaganda talking points is shocking."