TEHRAN – Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Ali Bahraini, has sharply criticized the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for adopting a politically driven and discriminatory resolution against Iran.

Speaking during the Council’s 58th regular session on Thursday, Bahraini condemned the approval of the resolution — identified as A/HRC/58/L.20/Rev.1 — which passed with 24 votes in favor, eight against, and 15 abstentions. 

“The adoption of such a resolution is a clear misuse of this platform, one that not only undermines the Council’s efficiency but also diverts its valuable resources from real crises,” Bahraini told delegates.

The Iranian envoy accused the Western states that sponsored the resolution, particularly the United Kingdom and Germany, of double standards and political manipulation. He asserted that these nations should be held responsible for their oppression of the Iranian people and their broader role in perpetuating global injustice.

Bahraini went on to denounce the resolution's extension of the mandates for both the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran and the ongoing Fact-Finding Mission. These mandates are tasked with investigating what the UN describes as "serious and ongoing human rights violations" within the country.

“There is a glaring lack of proportionality between the claims made in the resolution and the actual human rights situation in Iran,” he said, labeling the document as deceptive and part of a broader campaign to discredit Iran.

Rather than focusing on Iran, Bahraini urged the Council to redirect its attention to the dire and catastrophic human rights conditions in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. “At a time when the gravest violations of human rights are being committed against Palestinians — with the perpetrators enjoying full immunity — the UNHRC is being misled into scrutinizing Iran under false pretenses,” he argued.

Concluding his remarks, Bahraini called on member states to resist a politically motivated move aimed at distorting the Council’s mission. He stressed the importance of preserving the UNHRC’s integrity by rejecting resolutions that serve geopolitical interests rather than the genuine promotion of human rights.