Iran’s president dismisses criticism as protests over women’s rights turn deadly
- Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi spoke for the first time from the podium at the United Nations in his role as president
- He denounced Western double standards on human rights, and said Iran was ready for new nuclear deal
As street protests in Iran turned increasingly deadly, President Ebrahim Raisi on accused the West of maintaining a double standard on human rights.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, Raisi attempted to deflect international outrage over the death last week of a 22-year-old woman in the custody of Iran’s so-called morality police. They reportedly arrested her for failing to completely cover her hair.
Raisi also used the speech to insist that Iran was eager to revive the moribund nuclear deal aimed at preventing the country from developing a bomb, but questioned whether the US could be a trusted partner in any accord.
It was a rare appearance in the West by Raisi, a hardliner who became Iran’s president about a year ago.
“Human rights belongs to all, but unfortunately it is trampled upon by many governments,” Raisi said. He cited the suffering of stateless Palestinians and the detention of migrant children in the US, separating them from their families.
The Iranian government has maintained that Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd, died of a heart attack after she was detained and sent to a “reeducation centre” for instruction on proper attire.
