Ali Bagheri was speaking on Wednesday in a briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the presence of ambassadors and heads of political missions to Tehran.
The meeting was held to discuss the recent terrorist attack in Shah Cheragh Shrine in Shiraz and the developments in the past several weeks.
The full text of Ali Bagheri's statement is as follows:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
“Those who listen to the word, and follow the best [meaning] in it”
Distinguished Ambassadors,
Dear friends,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to this briefing session on the recent developments in Iran.
I would like to begin by thanking all countries that expressed solidarity with my people by condemning the cowardly terror attack in a holy shrine in Shiraz last Wednesday. Terrorism is a menace that must be rejected by all. No decent man or woman can approve of a phenomenon that infringes on all common human values by indiscriminately and wantonly targeting innocent fellow humans.
The terror attack that took place in Shiraz is a testament to the rightfulness of our cause and conviction to relentlessly stand against violent extremism and DAESH terrorism in the region. It showed how much we, and indeed the whole region and the wider world, owe to the renowned hero martyr General Soleimani who proved to be the staunchest force against DAESH terrorism. No surprise, he was assassinated by Trump who had previously admitted that DAESH was a product of the United States.
Dear colleagues,
lt would be naïve if we disassociate the DAESH terror attack from the preceding destabilizing malign campaign that was actively supported by a number of Western States, including through disseminating fake provocative stories and inciting violence and hatred from 5OCÏaI media and TV channels that are stationed in London and elsewhere. It is long established that DAESH and other extremist groups master exploiting any situation that they deem it lawless and chaotic for proliferating terrorism and violence. Shiraz terror act that claimed the precious lives of 15 innocent people including young kids and women, would make Iran even more resilient and steadfast in fighting terrorism of all sorts. We noted with utmost dismay and disappointment that some Western States failed to recognize the abhorrence of this terror attack and refrained from the simple verbal condemnation of that. They did not even sympathize with the child who lost his father, mother, and brother during the terrorist attack.
Dear Ambassadors,
The Islamic Republic of Iran is mature enough not to let terrorism abuse our people's peaceful assemblies nor would we allow terrorist groups to manipulate peaceful protests.
The peaceful assemblies that gathered together following the sad death of Mahsa Amini manifested the Iranian spirit of kindness, solidarity, and sympathy toward a fellow young Iranian woman. It demonstrated that Iranians across the country share each other's sadness and happiness regardless of their ethnicity or religion. It was a show of shared values and common feelings.
However, those peaceful assemblies turned violent following the malign interventions by certain opportunists and terrorist groups that have a long history of sowing violence and hatred. As part of a division of labor, a number of Persian language TV channels based in the U.S. and certain European countries including the UK, and social media acted as provocateurs of hatred and propagators of violence.
The extent and volume of disinformation and misinformation that were produced and disseminated during the past 6 weeks are unprecedented. Lies became common, facts were easily ignored or twisted, and misleading narratives proliferated at an extraordinary pace.
The violence that was malignly inflicted on our citizens’ peaceful assemblies by provocative and ill-intended interferences, claimed the lives of innocent lives including 30 law-enforcement personnel and left hundreds of public and private properties destroyed and burned. Even ambulances and fire-fighting machines were not spared and many health workers and firefighters were attacked and injured.
Our security and law-enforcement agencies have been under strict instruction to exercise maximum restraint, even in the face of brutal attacks by Some violent demonstrators who infiltrated in the peaceful assemblies. The high number of casualties in the law-enforcement units is very telling.
The key point is that some infamous terrorist groups and separatist elements had malignly managed to infiltrate the peaceful gatherings and turned them violent by using firearms against the police and also by targeting innocent demonstrators in order to provoke further violence.
The role of some Western-based TV channels and media in fueling the violence is undeniable.
They are actively calling for violence and sabotage while enjoying absolute impunity under the guise of freedom of the press. These media are funded and supported by the European States without being held to account for the consequences of their malicious campaign which could be regarded as part of an extensive war against the Iranian nation.
The Israeli regime that has long been dreaming of destabilizing Iran and has an established history of malign interference and military aggression as well as a systematic terror attacks and sabotage against many countries in the region, is pursuing its malignant goals, too.
Please don’t forget that Iran has already been under the most severe unilateral economic sanctions by the U.S. and its European allies following the U.S. unlawful withdrawal from the JCPOA. I would like to reiterate that not only the United States as the main imposer of sanctions but also the EU/E3 and others that are complying with those criminal sanctions must be accountable for the grave consequences of those sanctions on the basic human rights of the Iranians. While European countries are knowingly complicit in U.S. crimes against Iranian citizens, how do they expect the Iranian nation to believe that they really care for their human rights?!
The illegal and oppressive sanctions against the Iranian nation are considered the world’s biggest project of systematic human rights violations – the United States is the project manager of the sanctions, with many western countries running it. The purpose of this project is simply to present the Iranian nation with a dilemma: surrender or die! Do you know how many of my compatriots have been killed, injured, unemployed, had their income severely reduced or even denied access to humanitarian items by the silent arrows of cruel unilateral sanctions? Now here is the question posed by the innocent people whose fundamental rights have been violated: Which Human Rights Council’s Member States are going to deal with the systematic, widespread, and incessant violations of the rights of the Iranian people caused by the unilateral sanctions?
Have you ever asked yourself that despite the fact that in the past few weeks you have heard the name of the Iranian girl “Mahsa Amini” many times in the positions and stances of western officials and in the news and reports produced by the western media, but until now there is no name of the ten-year-old girl “Zahra Papi” from Lorestan, and another ten year on boy “Amir Hossein Naroi” from Zabul as well as 623 thalassemia patients who have been murdered since 2018 due to unilateral cruel sanctions and denial of access to needed medicines? You have definitely not heard of it. The answer is very clear, those imposing sanctions are not willing to admit to the crimes caused by the sanctions, let alone create political and media space for it.
Dear Ambassadors,
The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates its firm belief in human rights, including the right to peaceful assemblies. We deplore reckless foreign interventions and malign media campaigns that are normalizing the turning into the violence of such peaceful assemblies. The infiltration of extremist and terrorist elements in the peaceful assemblies must be denounced not acquiesced. “Protest demonstrations and rallies must be peaceful in order to be protected by international human rights law”, and “the right of peaceful assembly must not serve as an excuse to commit violence”, as once asserted by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association. We agree that it is the responsibility of states to distinguish between peaceful and non-peaceful protests. The former should be protected and respected while the latter must be prosecuted and brought before justice.
In conclusion, I would like to invite all States to adhere to the rule of law and respect the principles of international law and the UN Charter. Resorting to unilateral coercive measures of all sorts and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries are the two sides of the same coin. Both of them must be denounced and stopped.
I would also like to seriously caution against the repercussions of continuing abuse of international organizations for political gains. The United States' malicious campaign against Iran in New York and in Geneva is just in line with its unending hostile position to demonize and pressurize my country. The U.S. is set to reduce the United Nations, including the UNSC, and the Human Rights Council to a handy tool to reward its friends and punish its adversaries. No independent and responsible nations could afford to let the United States and its allies weaponize the UN system against its own members.
We call upon all States to be alerted and not to let the U.S. create another dangerous precedent in its pattern of manipulation of international organizations.
I thank you for your kind attention.
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