Iran slams UN over Saudi membership on human rights body

Iran has slammed the United Nations over renewing Saudi Arabia's membership on the Human Rights Council.

“Electing certain states such as Saudi Arabia to the Human Rights Council is the best hint making us believe that the international tools of human rights only serve in the favor of political interests,” IRNA news agency quoted Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, as saying.

“The United Nations in particular Human Rights Council have failed to achieve their main goals which is providing international peace and security and that is embarrassing,” he added.

He further expressed hope that the new secretary general of the UN will be capable of giving a push to the issue of the human rights.

In a secret balloting process on Friday, the 193-member UN General Assembly elected 14 members to the 47-nation council, among them Saudi Arabia. Russia, however, failed to win a seat on the council.