Iran's representative to the Third Committee of the United Nations says the UN human rights mechanisms are politicized and reek of double standards.
Speaking at the meeting on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Mohammad Hosninejad dismissed as invalid the latest UN reports on the situation of human rights in Iran, which was published on Aug. 6.
"Producing annually four nearly identical reports on the situation of human rights in Iran should solely be attributed to the adoption of a harmful selective approach based on double standards," he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
The Iranian envoy noted that there is no credible ground but "political considerations" for the duplication of allegations against Iran four times a year. He complained that the report makes a selective use of statements made by Iran.
Hosninejad also criticized the document for failing to include "all of the human rights of the entire population without distinction", citing the fact that the reimposition of "illegal and illegitimate sanctions" against Iran by the United States has been barely touched upon by its authors.
"The genocidal sanctions indiscriminately violate the basic economic and social rights of ordinary Iranians and yet the report chooses not to mention it," he said.
After withdrawing from a 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers in May, the US reimposed anti-Iran sanctions that have troubled the country's economy, directly affecting people's livelihood.
Hosninejad acknowledged the existence of specific human rights cases in Iran, but stressed that their gravity does not warrant a country-specific report.
"No country can claim to be perfect; neither does Iran," he said.
In the end, Hosninejad reminded that mutual respect and dialogue serve as the right path to address any genuine concern regarding human rights.
"To enhance the credibility of human rights discourse, we seek respectful dialogue without recrimination or blame game, and welcome meaningful engagement with all serious partners," he said.
