MNA � Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh pointed to the exacerbation of US anti-humanitarian sanctions against Iran and described its claim of sympathy for Iranians as �hypocritical and discredited�.

Speaking in the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) on Tue., he requested a minute of silence for honoring victims of coronavirus in various parts of the world including Iran before announcing the position of the Islamic Republic toward the claims and accusations raised by UN special human rights rapporteur.

While criticizing the continuation of fanatical approaches of some countries to the issue of human rights in Iran, Hamaneh termed the human rights mechanisms for the exertion of political pressure against target countries as a great injustice in the Human Rights Council and called for the cessation of destructive approaches by sponsors of anti-Iranian resolutions.

Turning to the exacerbation of US anti-humanitarian sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran which has spent all its facilities to combat coronavirus and protection of health of its citizens, he added, �some sponsors of anti-Iranian resolutions comply with the US sanctions imposed against Iran actively," and described the claim of sympathy of this group of countries for human rights in Iran �hypocritical�.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Hamaneh pointed to the US assassination of Iran�s top commander Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani as a clear violation of all international rules and principles and added, �Martyr Soleimani was the greatest defender of human rights and human dignity who saved millions of people under the yoke of ISIL terrorist groups and paved the way for Iraqi and Syrian people to regain their dignity which had been undermined under the dominance of ISIL.�