BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 23. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, cautioned that the country is fully serious about its commitment to self-defense, Trend reports.
He made the remarks on Monday during the sixty-first regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, held from 23 February to 31 March 2026 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Gharibabadi criticized Western countries for what he described as double standards on human rights, emphasizing that Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution was driven by human rights objectives.
He also asserted that Western nations blocked efforts at the UN Security Council to condemn what he called U.S. and Israeli aggression against Iran last June.
According to him, during the 12-day conflict involving Iran, the United States, Britain, and Germany obstructed both the Security Council and the Human Rights Council from denouncing the attacks, despite 1,060 Iranians being killed and 6,000 injured.
Gharibabadi further challenged Western media reports regarding the number of fatalities in the recent unrest, which he alleged was instigated by Western governments.
The deputy foreign minister underlined that large pro-government rallies held after the foreign-backed disturbances, as well as during the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, demonstrated the Iranian people’s strong support for the Islamic Establishment.
He also addressed U.S. military threats against Iran, stating that the country would respond forcefully to defend itself.
While noting that adversaries may be able to start a war against Iran, he said it would ultimately be Iran that determines how such a conflict ends.
Gharibabadi warned that the repercussions of any war would extend beyond the immediate parties involved and would spread throughout the region.