Iran summons German envoy over officials’ ‘meddlesome’ remarks

In this file photo taken on March 1, 2021,
the Iranian national flag is seen outside the International Atomic Energy Agency headquarters during the agency's Board of Governors meeting in Vienna. (JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned the German ambassador for the third time in the past four weeks to protest the repeated "baseless and meddlesome" anti-Tehran remarks by the European country's officials, according to official news agency IRNA.

Hans-Udo Muzel was summoned as part of Tehran's reaction to the adoption of an anti-Iran resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting held on Thursday, which Iran dismissed as a "wrong step" based on a political and instrumental approach toward human rights and Iran, thus, fundamentally "rejected" it.

The meeting, at the request of Germany and Iceland to discuss recent events in Iran, voted in favor of establishing an international fact-finding mission to probe the Iranian government's response to the protests in the country

The meeting, at the request of Germany and Iceland to discuss recent events in Iran, voted in favor of establishing an international fact-finding mission to probe the Iranian government's response to the protests in the country.

In the meeting with Muzel, the ministry conveyed Tehran's strong protest over German officials' "baseless and meddlesome" remarks, and that Iran would not cooperate within the framework of any mechanism defined based on the resolution.

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The ministry stressed that the compliance of Germany and some other European countries with the US unilateral sanctions on Tehran, which have led to the "flagrant" violation of the Iranians' human rights, strip these countries of any "legitimacy or eligibility" to raise human rights claims.

The German ambassador gave the assurance that he would convey Iran's protests to his country's officials as soon as possible.

The Thursday UNHRC meeting was convened to discuss alleged human rights violations in Iran during the handling of recent "foreign-backed riots" in the country.

Protests have erupted in Iran since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in a Tehran hospital a few days after she collapsed at a police station in September. The Iranian government blames the United States and some other countries for "inciting riots and supporting terrorists" in the country.