Envoy Rebukes ‘Irony’ between US Claims of Backing Human Rights, Cruel Sanctions against Iran

Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Amir Saied Iravani said the US-organized meeting held at the United Nations over the situation of human rights clearly aimed to interfere in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state, which amounts to a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and international law.

The senior diplomat made the remarks while speaking at the UN Security Council Stakeout in New York on Wednesday.

He added that the Arria-formula meeting took place as the US once again resorted to a "disinformation campaign in a blatant hypocrisy."

The Iranian ambassador said it is ironic that the US has alleged that the event is intended to "protect" human rights in Iran, "while Iranians continue to suffer greatly as the result of the United States’ decades-long brutal sanctions; a true war in which the actual warfare is replaced with food and medicine."

"It has become a standard practice for the US to abuse such valued concepts as human rights and manipulate the UN platforms and resources to advance its ill-based political agenda," Iravani emphasized.

He said that the US has never been really concerned about human rights in Iran or elsewhere as the history is self-evident enough to prove it.

The Iranian diplomat reaffirmed the country's strong objection to the politicization of human rights issues and manipulation of the UN system by certain states to advance their short-sighted political objectives, saying, "This is a dangerous precedent, and Iran has already warned against it."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been and continues to be committed to the promotion and protection of human rights. We are determined to continue our efforts in pursuit of these noble goals," he added.

Iravani noted that Iran's Constitution recognizes the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly while the government has always supported the enjoyment of these rights by the Iranian people.

He added that Iran has no intention to compare itself to other countries that lag behind it when it comes to respecting human rights, stressing that Tehran seeks to evaluate its situation in relation to the aspirations and values that it revolutionized 43 years ago, as well as the overall administration of justice, morality, and religion.

"We are determined to continue our efforts in promoting and protecting human rights situation," the senior Iranian envoy said.

"All Iranians within and outside the country who are concerned about Iran's territorial integrity, political independence, and national sovereignty are of the view that whilst such enjoyments of rights should be deemed inviolable, protests should not lead to violence and destruction, chaos, or instability," he added, referring to recent riots in the country that followed the death of a young Iranian woman in a police station last month.

Iravani said every government is responsible to protect its people against insecurity and violent and terrorist acts, and upholding the law and order, and that Iran is no exception.

He reiterated that Iran has always made its utmost efforts to address human rights issues and would "continue to give the Iranian people the better living circumstances they deserve and establish a legal framework to alter laws and regulations."

Iranian law enforcement have the ability prevent or manage any unrest and maintain complete tranquility across the country, but they will not do so at any cost, he said.

He noted that the process of decision-making in Iran is based on the importance of human life and dignity, saying, "Therefore, the restraint displayed by Iranian law enforcement should not be a sign of weakness."

"We believe that exaggerating or underestimating protests in Iran serves only as a diversion from finding a viable solution and resolving the problem," Iravani added, reminding the UNSC of the Iranian government's efforts to present a "thorough solution" to the ongoing problem "by making use of its elite, academic, and scientific resources and capacities."

The ambassador urged the international community to respect and uphold the principles of national sovereignty of states and non-interference in their internal affairs.

Riots broke out in Iran in mid-September after the controversial death of young Iranian woman Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old fainted at a police station in the capital, Tehran, and was pronounced dead three days later at a hospital. An official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization concluded that Amini’s death was caused by an illness rather than alleged blows to the head or other vital body organs.

In the meantime, rioters have been going on a rampage across the country. They have been receiving overwhelming backing from Western powers, especially the United States, despite continuing to brutally attack security officers and cause massive damage to public property.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry and the IRGC Intelligence Organization released a statement on Friday to highlight the major role of foreign intelligence agencies, especially the CIA, in orchestrating the violent riots.

Late last month, the Intelligence Ministry announced that the rioters have been backed by Western regimes and their mercenary media, which disseminated misinformation and distorted the sequence of events that led to Amini’s death even before the official investigation into the incident was announced.

In a letter to all ambassadors and permanent representatives of the UN member and observer states on Monday, Iravani questioned the United States’ ostensible commitment to defending Iranian women, saying, "The US has no true and genuine concern about the human rights situation in Iran or elsewhere."