TEHRAN – Iran has reacted the United Nations Security Council’s informal meeting on the situation in the country, rejecting it as an abuse of international institutions aimed at interfering in internal affairs of the independent countries.

The Iranian foreign ministry said the Arria-Formula meeting, requested by the U.S. and Albania, was “a prominent example of the U.S. administration’s abuse of international mechanisms for its illegal and meddlesome aims in the internal affairs of the independent countries.”

“In this meeting, which was not well received by the member states of the United Nations, only the ambassadors of the United States and Albania were present at the ambassador level. However, America, in an uncivilized and undemocratic way, and contrary to the usual procedure, except for itself and a few known guests and a few allied countries, did not allow any other person or country that is not a member of the Security Council to deliver a speech!” the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The statement added, “This meeting once again proved that the continuous abuse of international mechanisms by the United States, especially the United Nations Security Council, continues, and more regrettably, lofty concepts such as human rights are used as a tool to exert political pressure against independent governments and double standards is applied openly.”

A cursory look at the performance of the U.S. administration in the field of human rights reveals that Washington has never been concerned about human rights in the world and has always used it to pursue specific political goals, the statement noted.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, while rejecting America's abuse of the United Nations and the transcendent concept of human rights and the U.S view of it as a tool to advance political and interventionist goals, strongly condemns this country's continuous efforts to create instability in Iran, the Iranian foreign ministry said.

It also strongly condemned foreign interventions and malicious media campaigns that are used to incite and promote violence and encourage unrest in Iran. The foreign minister also expressed concern about the negative impact of these acts promoting violence and terror on international peace and security.

Earlier, the Iranian ambassador to the UN, Amir Saied Iravani, sent a letter to all the permanent missions at the UN regarding the UNSC meeting on Iran.

“I am writing to you regarding the Arria-formula meeting entitled "Ongoing Protests in Iran", scheduled for 2 November 2022. The U.S., as the sponsor of this meeting, through its mischievous disinformation campaign, has claimed that the event is aimed at protecting the rights of Iranian women. This is but sheer hypocrisy. Misusing such valuable concepts as human rights and abusing the UN resources, the U.S. is in fact furthering its decades-long animosity towards the Iranian people,” he said in the letter, adding, “Contrary to unfounded accusations of the U.S. against Iran, my Government has always been and continues to be, fully committed to the promotion and protection of human rights as well as fulfilling its relevant obligations under international legally binding instruments on human rights. The right to free expression and peaceful assembly has been recognized and ensured by the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the enjoyment of our people of these rights has always been supported by the Government, the living example of which is many peaceful assemblies that have taken place around Iran.”

He added, “At the same time, vandalism and damaging public and private properties, including setting fire to ambulances, public transportation vehicles, banks, and public service centers, and above all, committing terrorist acts - the latest example of which was the killing of 15 and injuring nearly 30 civilians including women and children by the ISIS elements in a religious site in Shiraz (Iran) - are against the provisions enshrined in the law for maintaining public order and security and jeopardizes the security of the citizens. Every government is responsible to protect its people against such violent acts and securing the law and order, and Iran is no exception.”

After the meeting, Iravani responded to the meeting in remarks at the UN Security Council Stakeout. “Since the closed meeting of the Security Council just finished, I would like to make some comment regarding claims made against my country over the situation in Ukraine. The Islamic Republic of Iran has taken a clear and consistent position on the situation in Ukraine, which has been pronounced since the start of the conflict. The Islamic Republic of Iran has always emphasized that all UN Members must fully respect the purposes and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter as well as applicable international law, including sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity,” he said.

Iravani added, “As a country that has experienced an 8-year imposed war and aggression, Iran has consistently advocated for peace and an immediate end to the conflict in Ukraine and has urged the parties in the conflict to exercise restraint, avoid escalating tensions, and engage in a meaningful process for settling their disputes through peaceful means while also addressing the root causes of the situation.

Iran supports the ongoing efforts to find a peaceful solution to this conflict, and in this regard, our Foreign Minister contacted his counterparts from both sides on several occasions.”