TEHRAN- After the UN Human Rights Council’s endorsement of an anti-Tehran draft resolution, Iran’s permanent representative to the UN Office and other international bodies in Geneva lambasted Western nations for using human rights as a political instrument against the Islamic Republic.

Ali Bahraini made the comments during a speech on Tuesday before the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council voted on a draft resolution titled “Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran” that was put forth by the United Kingdom, Iceland, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, and Northern Ireland.

After receiving votes from 23 member states, eight against, and 16 abstentions, the anti-Iran draft resolution was approved.

The Iranian diplomat emphasized that certain governments take use of the organization to further their own political goals, saying that those who support the resolution conceal themselves beneath the banner of human rights.

Bahraini went on to stress that “from Iran’s perspective, this resolution is deemed a hostile attempt to target and purposefully undermine Iran’s reputation for human rights via generating distorted narratives, negative stereotypes, and false charges.”

The Iranian diplomat said that the Islamic Republic’s accomplishments in upholding human rights during the last four decades show the nation’s commitment to upholding, defending, and realizing such rights.

During the Human Rights Council’s 52nd regular session, Cuba, China, and South Africa gave comments in support of Iran and warned against the instrumental and political exploitation of human rights.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani also condemned the UN Human Rights Council’s “politically driven” decision on Iran’s human rights status.

Kanaani added that Tehran also opposes the move to extend the mandate of the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran for another year.

The spokesman emphasized that the resolution’s inclusion of prejudices and hasty judgments renders it completely untrustworthy. 

The resolution was drafted and approved with the approval of some Western nations with the intention of diminishing the advancement of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kanaani stated.

The adoption of a selective, prejudiced, and confrontational perspective to the human rights issue, according to Kanaani, would not provide a better result than this resolution.

He said that the flagrant exploitation of human rights for political reasons, including the discriminatory drafting of state resolutions in the Human Rights Council, is regretful. 

The ministry spokesman also condemned the abuse of the UN’s mechanisms by some member states as an irksome habit.

Kanaani continued by asserting that Western nations have weakened the legitimacy of the council's decisions and resolutions by utilizing it as a tool and for political ends.