... He Should Be In The NFL!

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The former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is backing another embattled U.S. athlete ... this time coming to the defense of Colin Kaepernick!!

Remember, the ex-Iranian prez swooped in to defend Serena Williams when French Open officials told her she couldn't wear a custom-made Nike catsuit during their tournament anymore.

Now ... Ahmadinejad is weighing in on the Kaepernick drama -- saying it's a shame the ex-49ers superstar ain't in the league anymore.

"The NFL season will start this week," Mahmoud said from his official Twitter account.

"Unfortunately once again @Kaepernick7 is not on a NFL roster. Even though he is one of the best Quarterbacks in the league."

So, yeah ... apparently, M.A. is keeping up with the NFL in his spare time?

And wait, there's more ...

﻿Ahmadinejad also echoed LeBron James, who recently said sports are supposed to bring people together, not divide.

While LeBron mentioned Trump by name, the Iranian ex-prez didn't.