DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani used the George Floyd killing as a metaphor for U.S. treatment of his country, saying in a UN speech Tuesday that it is "reminiscent of our own experience."

"We instantly recognize the feet kneeling on the neck as the feet of arrogance on the neck of independent nations," Rouhani said in pre-recorded remarks. "The footage broadcast to the world concerning the treatment of an African American by the U.S. police is reminiscent of our own experience.

He added: "For decades, the valiant Iranian nation has paid a similar high price for its quest for freedom and liberation from domination and despotism."

Iran and the United States have been at odds in varying degrees since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution and the ensuing taking of American hostages in Tehran for more than a year.