Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday thanked his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar for his “strong support” and Pakistan’s position at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) amid the prevailing tense situation between Washington and Tehran.
On Friday, the UNHRC adopted a resolution — with 25 votes in favour, seven against and 14 abstentions — to extend the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran for two years.
The resolution also extended the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran by one year and called for an urgent investigation by the mission, in the context of the deadly nationwide protests in Iran that started in December.
Pakistan, along with China and India, voted against the resolution.
In a post on X on Saturday, the Foreign Office (FO) said Dar, who is on a visit to Dubai, received a telephone call from Araghchi.
The Iranian minister thanked the deputy prime minister for “his strong support and Pakistan’s position at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, including its call for a vote as well as voting against the resolution concerning Iran”, the FO added.
The ministry said the two dignitaries exchanged views on regional and international developments, while Araghchi conveyed “deep appreciation” for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Pakistani government and the people.
Separately, Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam also thanked the country’s leadership for its “historic and unwavering support” at the UNHRC by “calling for a vote and casting a negative vote against the unjustified resolution targeting Iran”.
In his post on X, Moghadam also conveyed special appreciation to the representatives of the Permanent Mission of Pakistan in Geneva for “their tireless efforts and dedication” in the pursuit of justice.
“This principled stance marks the third consecutive defeat of unprovoked and politically motivated actions against Iran over the past year, including the unprovoked twelve-day aggression, recent foreign-backed riots aimed at destabilising the country, and the misuse of international organisations to pursue capricious and hostile agendas by certain members.”
The envoy went on saying that such “steadfast support” was a clear reflection of the country’s “enduring commitment to justice, multilateralism, respect for human rights, and national sovereignty”, adding that it would be “remembered with deep appreciation”.
On Friday, a senior Iranian official said the country would treat any attack “as an all-out war against us”, after US President Donald Trump’s comment that a US “armada” was heading toward the Gulf and that Washington was watching Iran closely.
