UNITED NATIONS — Efforts by the Trump administration to marshal a muscular international response to Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protesters appeared to backfire on Friday, as members of the United Nations Security Council instead used a special session called by the United States to lecture the American ambassador on the proper purpose of the body and to reaffirm support for the Iran nuclear agreement.

It was an afternoon of high diplomatic theater that began with a passionate denunciation of Iran’s “oppressive government” by the American ambassador, Nikki R. Haley, and ended with the Iranian ambassador delivering a lengthy history of popular revolt in the United States — from the violent demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention in 1968 to the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011.

In the interim, Council members did, one by one, condemn the Iranian government’s response during more than a week of protests. As of Friday, more than 20 people had been killed and hundreds had been arrested. The authorities have blocked access to social media and have blamed foreign “enemies” for instigating the unrest, a common refrain at times of upheaval that in this case the government has provided no evidence to support.

In her remarks, Ms. Haley said that the United States would remain steadfastly behind the Iranian protesters.</s>Friday's UN Security Council meeting didn't disappoint in terms of the anticipated level of inflammatory rhetoric and accusations. Also not unexpected is that the US finds itself isolated after a week of the Trump White House going on the offensive: first by essentially calling for regime change in Iran after the onset of mass protests last week (the State Dept.'s first statement a week ago referenced "transition of government"), and then came the bombshell announcement that all foreign aid to Pakistan, which reportedly totals up to $2 billion in promised security aid, has been cut.

And not helpful to any of this was Trump's lashing out through a series off the cuff tweets aimed at Iran and Pakistan in the past days - some of which may have precipitated Pakistan's finally pulling the trigger on ditching the dollar in trade with China in retaliation.

These countries and others came out swinging at the UN. First, Iran's ambassador told the meeting that his government has "hard evidence" that recent protests in Iran were "very clearly directed from abroad."

According to the Washington Post, Iran's highest legal authority previously claimed direct CIA involvement in the unrest which has now taken over two dozen lives, including at least one police officer and three Iranian intelligence officers who were reported killed during clashes in the western city of Piranshahr on Wednesday. The Washington Post summarized the allegations as follows:

Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo also accused the United States of abusing its power as a permanent member of the Security Council by calling for a meeting to discuss the protests. "It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this council has allowed itself to be abused by the current U.S. administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate," he said.

Iran's accusation was backed by Russia, whose envoy Vasiliy Nebenzia addressed the US head on, asserting "You are dispersing the energy of the Security Council, instead of focusing it on dealing with key crisis situations in Afghanistan, Syria Libya, Iraq, Yemen, DPRK, the African continent. Instead of that, you are proposing that we interfere in the internal affairs of a state." The Russian representative continued, “We obviously regret the loss of lives as a result of the demonstrations that were not so peaceful. However, let Iran deal with its own problems, especially since this is precisely what’s taking place.”

Russia further presented the US position as one of hypocrisy: "If we follow your logic, then we should have meetings of the Security Council after the events in Ferguson or after the dispersal by force of the Occupy Wall Street movement in Manhattan,” Vasiliy said. "We don't want to get involved in destabilizing Iran or any other country."

This was in response to US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's opening speech, who characterized the week long unrest in Iran as a "spontaneous expression of fundamental human rights," claiming the protests were simultaneously playing out in "over 78 locations" - though according to many reports anti-regime protests have largely died down while giving way to possibly larger pro-government rallies. She ascribed the usual freedom and democracy motives to the Iranian demonstrators - which by the accounts of many analysts are multi-faceted and complex, mostly focusing on deep seated economic grievances - something to be expected anytime protests occur in any country whose government the US doesn't like.

"In the end, the Iranian people will determine their own destiny. Let there be no doubt the US stands unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families and dignity for their nation. We will not be quiet," Haley said, while also derisively shooting down accusations that protesters and provocateurs being used as "puppets of foreign powers." She said the US was absolutely sure that protests were not at all being driven by external influence or intervention. She further reiterated a warning first emphasized in a prior State Department press release: "The Iranian regime is now on notice: The world will be watching what you do."

Meanwhile Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has added his name to the growing chorus of countries charging the US with meddling in the internal affairs of both Iran and Pakistan, and other Muslim majority countries. At an Istanbul press conference on Friday, Turkey's president accused the US of seeking control of the Middle East's resources, saying, "We cannot accept that some countries - foremost the US, Israel - to interfere [sic] in the internal affairs of Iran and Pakistan," according to the AFP.

A number of nations, including European countries like France, have worried that the US is exploiting Iran's domestic situation to undermine the 2015 nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA). Earlier in the week Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov expressly warned the US "against attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran," while stressing, "what is happening there is an internal affair".

And even France in a rare moment of complete agreement with Russia and Iran earlier in the week slammed the US for prematurely using human rights to undermine the nuclear agreement. On Wednesdays President Emmanuel Macron told reporters, "The official line pursued by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, who are our allies in many ways, is almost one that would lead us to war." He charged that some countries seemed to be engaged in a “deliberate strategy” to undermine the JCPOA.

“Otherwise, we end up surreptitiously rebuilding an ‘axis of evil’,” Macron said in reference to an infamous phrase by former President George W. Bush, who used the phrase to describe countries including Iran, Iraq and North Korea. Macron further warned at the time that the world could go down a path of a "conflict of extreme brutality" should US pressures on Iran continue.

During Friday's UN emergency session, France stuck by Macron's earlier words, as French Ambassador Francois Delattre urged a careful approach to Iran's internal matters, saying just before the meeting, "Yes, of course, to vigilance and call for full respect of freedom of expression, but no to instrumentalization of the crisis from the outside - because it would only reinforce the extremes, which is precisely what we want to avoid."

His call to cautiously prevent the "instrumentalization of the crisis from the outside" is a clear reference to repeat Israeli and US officials' demands for international solidarity with the anti-Tehran protesters in cause of regime change. Thus when even France sides squarely against the US and with Iran and Russia, the US has definitely found itself isolated on the world stage.</s>The Friday comments by Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia followed a hastily-called emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) — at the demand of the US ambassador — in which Washington sought to paint the current Tehran administration as corrupt, incompetent and totalitarian, a spin noted by UN members to be a pretext to dismantling the historic Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between the P5+1 and Iran.

The P5+1 (for the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States — plus Germany and the European Union) entered into the agreement with Iran in 2015 as a means to deescalate nuclear tensions in the region.

Many UN members expressed their displeasure with what are considered to be heavy-handed and isolationist tactics by the US to dismantle the key nuclear treaty, an agreement that has been to shown to be largely successful in its aims, according to al Jazeera.

"The United States is abusing the platform of the Security Council," said Russian Ambassador Nebenzia.

"Let Iran deal with its own problems," Nebenzia advised, adding, "The real reason for convening today is not to protect human rights or promote the interests of the Iranian people, but rather a veiled attempt to continue to undermine the Iranian nuclear agreement," cited by the New York Times.

UNSC member France declared that the ongoing Iran demonstrations were not an issue for which the international body required emergency meetings.

"However worrying the events of the last few days in Iran may be they do not constitute per se a threat to international peace and security," French Ambassador to the UN Francois Delattre said, cited by Reuters.

"We must be wary of any attempts to exploit this crisis for personal ends, which would have the diametrically opposed outcome to that which is wished," Delattre added.

Tehran was more to the point, observing what it referred to as a US overreach in the use of the UNSC body.

Iranian Ambassador to the UN Gholamali Khoshroo asserted that the administration of US President Donald Trump — in the form of its current and widely-criticized ambassador Nikki Haley — was abusing its position as a permanent UNSC member in demanding the emergency meeting.

"It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this council has allowed itself to be abused by the current US administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate," noted Khoshroo.

Almost a week of sporadically violent protests involving upwards of 50,000 demonstrators in the Middle Eastern country has seen at least 22 killed, as Tehran authorities accuse the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia of tacitly fomenting unrest that began in late December 2017.</s>A United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday to discuss recent protests in Iran turned into criticism of the United States for requesting to meet on what some member states said was an internal issue for Tehran. France’s ambassador to the UN said the protests do not threaten international peace and security, in what may be an implicit criticism of the United States. “We must be wary of any attempts to exploit this crisis for personal ends, which would have the diametrically opposed outcome to that which is wished,” Ambassador Francois Delattre said.

“However worrying the events of the last few days in Iran may be, they do not constitute per se a threat to international peace and security.” Demonstrations erupted in Iran over a week ago after the government announced plans to raise fuel prices and cut monthly cash handouts to lower-income Iranians. The unrest spread over 80 cities and towns and has resulted in 22 deaths and more than 1,000 arrests, according to Iranian officials.

The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said Iran is “on notice,” after listing what she referred to as slogans chanted by Iranian protesters. “The Iranian regime’s contempt for the rights of its people has been widely documented for many years,” said Haley, adding that the United States stood “unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families, and dignity for their nation. We will not be quiet. No dishonest attempt to call the protesters ‘puppets of foreign powers’ will change that.” Iran’s UN Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo told the Security Council that his government has “hard evidence” that recent protests in Iran were “very clearly directed from abroad.”

Khoshroo also said the United States had abused its power as a permanent member of the Security Council by calling for a meeting to discuss the protests. “It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this council has allowed itself to be abused by the current US administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate,” he said.

Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the United States was abusing the Security Council’s platform and the meeting was an attempt to use the current Iranian situation to undermine the Iran nuclear deal, which the US administration opposes.

Discussing the domestic situation of Iran at the council “does not help resolve the domestic issue of Iran,” said China’s Deputy UN Ambassador Wu Haitao.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>The Iranian government has hard evidence that the violence in the ongoing protests in the country is incited from abroad, Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Gholam Ali Khoshroo said during an emergency UN Security Council meeting."We have hard evidence of the violence in Iran by a handful of the protesters, in some cases resulting in the deaths of policeman and security officers, being very clearly directed from abroad," Khoshroo said on Friday.Iranian Envoy to the UN Gholam Ali Khoshroo also stressed that"The move by the United States to bring to this council protests in Iran by some of our citizens for legitimate grievances some exacerbated by none other than US itself in its dereliction of its obligation under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] is an abuse of its power as a permanent member and an abuse of the council itself," Khoshroo said on Friday.Moreover, Khoshoroo pointed outIran should be the one calling for an investigation into the role of foreign elements instigating violence in the country, Khoshroo concluded.The UN Security Council meeting was called by the United States which has taken an active interest in what it sees as attempts by Iranian authorities to crack down on pro-democracy protesters. The US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the world was watching what the Islamic Republic was doing.Meanwhile,Discussing this domestic situation of Iran by the Council is a practice that is not in line with the Council's responsibilities," he said at the meeting. "China takes note of the recent domestic developments of Iran," Wu admitted, adding Beijing trusted the Iranian government with doing what needs to be done to keep the country stable. He stressedThe Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia stressed it is unacceptable to use "bogus pretext" to include internal political issues of Iran in the agenda of meeting. Nebenzia said the domestic political situation has stabilized in recent days. He added the"It is obvious for everyone that the topic chosen today does not fall within the prerogatives established by the UN charter," Nebenzia said. "The real reason for convening today's meeting is not an attempt to protect human rights or promote the interest of Iranian people, but rather an attempt to use the current moment to continue to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action."Russian Ambassador emphasized that the United States is undermining the authority of the United Nations Security Council by calling a special meeting on protests in Iran."Today we are witnessing how the United States is abusing the platform of the Security Council," Nebenzia stated on Friday. "Why the United States, a permanent member of the Security Council, is undermining the authority of the Security Council as the main body which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security?"If the Security Council follows the logic of the United States, they should have called meetings after violent protests in Ferguson, Missouri or waves of unrest in any Western country, Nebenzia said.The envoy urged the Security Council members to allow Iran to deal with its own problems and rather focus on crisis situations in Lybia, North Korea, Syria.Meanwhile, theso that the Iranian people may see its benefits, UK Ambassador to the UN Matthew John Rycroft said during a Security Council meeting."The United Kingdom remains fully committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, it is one of the international community's greatest successes in recent memory, we welcome Iran's compliance with its nuclear commitments," Rycroft said on Friday. "We encourage all member states to uphold their commitments so that the Iranian people see the tangible benefits of this deal."From the perspective of finding a solution to the "flash points" in the crisis in the Middle East , the UN Security Council must remain fully committed to upholding the nuclear agreement with Iran and must fully promote its implementation, French Ambassador Francois Delattre said during the emergency meeting.In October 2017, US President Donald Trump refused to confirm to the US Congress that Iran strictly abides the nuclear deal but at the same time he did not question compliance on the international level. The United States has since delivered additional sanctions on Iran.However, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley warned during a UN Security Council meeting on Friday that Iran has been put on notice that the world is watching how Tehran handles the ongoing anti-government protests."The Iranian regime is now on notice. The world will be watching what you do," Haley said.The UN Security Council briefing on Iranian protests was another foreign policy flop by the administration of US President Donald Trump , Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Friday.Another FP blunder for the Trump administration," he tweeted.Russia, China, and France - three of the body's five permanent members - spoke against the US move to raise anti-government protests in Iran at a UN meeting, saying they did not pose a risk to international peace or security.They and the United Kingdom also spoke in favor of keeping the 2015 deal with Tehran in place. Russia's Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States of calling the briefing to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which saw Iran scale back its nuclear activities in return for sanctions easing. President Trump has called it the worst deal ever.The Iranian people have taken to the streets in major cities in the country since December 28, 2017, to protest against unemployment, poverty, rising cost of living and policies of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. At least 20 people have reportedly been killed and 450 have been detained, according to published reports.</s>UNITED NATIONS (NYTIMES) - Efforts by the Trump administration to marshal a muscular international response to Iran's crackdown on anti-government protesters appeared to backfire on Friday (Jan 5) as members of the UN Security Council instead used a special session called by the United States to lecture the US ambassador on the proper purpose of the body and to reaffirm support for the Iran nuclear agreement.

It was an afternoon of high diplomatic theatre that began with a passionate denunciation of Iran's "oppressive government" by the US ambassador, Ms Nikki Haley, and ended with the Iranian ambassador delivering a lengthy history of popular revolt in the United States - from the violent demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention in 1968 to the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011.

In the interim, council members did, one by one, condemn the Iranian government's response during more than a week of protests.

As of Friday, more than 20 people had been killed and hundreds had been arrested. The authorities have blocked access to social media and have blamed foreign "enemies" for instigating the unrest, a common refrain at times of upheaval that in this case the government has provided no evidence to support.

In her remarks, Ms Haley said the United States would remain steadfastly behind the Iranian protesters.

"Let there be no doubt whatsoever," she said, "the United States stands unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves."

But there was evidence of a mini-revolt brewing within the Security Council chamber, not only among traditional adversaries like Russia and China, but also among close allies like France and Sweden.

Many seemed to fear that the outspoken criticism by the Americans was simply a pretext to undermine the Iran nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump has long desired to scrap.

It is not precisely clear what Ms Haley hoped to achieve by convening the session on Friday, which was not previously scheduled. Until the meeting began at 3pm, it was not even certain whether Ms Haley would be able to secure the votes needed to call the session to order.

But even before the session began, France's ambassador, Mr François Delattre, warned against "instrumentalisation" of the protests "from the outside". Speaking before the council, he went further.

"We must be wary of any attempt to exploit this crisis for personal ends, which would have a diametrically opposed outcome to that which is wished," Mr Delattre said.

The Russian ambassador, Mr Vasily Nebenzya, was more blunt. He asked rhetorically why the Security Council had not taken up the issue of Black Lives Matter protests in Ferguson, Missouri, which were at times also met with a violent police response.

"The real reason for convening today's meeting is not an attempt to protect human rights or promote the interests of the Iranian people, but rather as a veiled attempt to use the current moment to continue to undermine" the Iranian deal, Mr Nebenzya said.

Mr Trump has repeatedly excoriated the deal, which was a signature diplomatic achievement of his predecessor, Mr Barack Obama. In October, he refused to recertify the deal, though he left it to Congress to legislate changes to it. (None of the other world powers that signed the deal believes renegotiation is possible.)

This month, Mr Trump will again have to choose whether to continue to waive sanctions, as the deal requires, or chart a more confrontational approach that would further antagonise European allies.

Mr Trump himself conflated the protests with the Iran nuclear deal this week, arguing that financial benefits received by the Iranian authorities as part of the accord had fuelled the corruption that the country's people were protesting.

At the Security Council on Friday, most members insisted that these two issues were separate.

"It needs to be crystal clear to the international community that the situation in Iran does not belong on the agenda of the Security Council," said Mr Sacha Sergio Llorenty, the Bolivian ambassador.

Sweden's representative, Ms Irina Schoulgin Nyoni, concurred: "We have our reservations on the format and timing of this session."

Such reticence to support the US position is the latest evidence of growing international resistance to the Trump administration's foreign policy priorities, particularly at the United Nations.

Last month, a large majority of UN members voted for a resolution denouncing the United States' decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US Embassy there.

Ms Haley had to use her veto to block a similar resolution in the Security Council that was supported by every other member.

On Wednesday, the US Mission to the United Nations held a cocktail reception for the nine countries that voted against the resolution in the General Assembly, which, aside from Israel, were Guatemala, Honduras, Togo, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and Palau.

In a video message played at the reception, Mr Trump thanked the attendees for "standing with the United States".

He said the vote would "go down as a very important date", and their support was "noted and greatly appreciated."</s>"We have hard evidence of the violence in Iran by a handful of the protesters, in some cases resulting in the deaths of policeman and security officers, being very clearly directed from abroad," Khoshroo said on Friday.

Iranian Envoy to the UN Gholam Ali Khoshroo also stressed that the United States is abusing its power as a member of the United Nations Security Council and as a permanent member of the council by calling a meeting to discuss the protests in Iran.

"The move by the United States to bring to this council protests in Iran by some of our citizens for legitimate grievances some exacerbated by none other than US itself in its dereliction of its obligation under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] is an abuse of its power as a permanent member and an abuse of the council itself," Khoshroo said on Friday.

Moreover, Khoshoroo pointed out instigators based in the United States and Europe have been seen inciting violence during the protests in Iran. The instigation has included such activities as encouraging and training people to use Molotov cocktails, capture ammunition depots and stage an armed uprising.

Iran should be the one calling for an investigation into the role of foreign elements instigating violence in the country, Khoshroo concluded.

Meanwhile, China's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Wu Haitao said Friday his country took note of protests in Iran but believed they were its domestic issue that lay outside of UN’s scope.

"The Iranian situation does not pose any threat to international peace or security nor is it on the agenda of the Security Council. Discussing this domestic situation of Iran by the Council is a practice that is not in line with the Council’s responsibilities," he said at the meeting. "China takes note of the recent domestic developments of Iran," Wu admitted, adding Beijing trusted the Iranian government with doing what needs to be done to keep the country stable. He stressed UN’s interference would not help resolve the issue.

Nebenzia pointed out the real reason for convening the meeting was not a desire to protect human rights or promote the interest of the Iranian people, but rather an attempt to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"It is obvious for everyone that the topic chosen today does not fall within the prerogatives established by the UN charter," Nebenzia said. "The real reason for convening today's meeting is not an attempt to protect human rights or promote the interest of Iranian people, but rather an attempt to use the current moment to continue to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action."

"Today we are witnessing how the United States is abusing the platform of the Security Council," Nebenzia stated on Friday. "Why the United States, a permanent member of the Security Council, is undermining the authority of the Security Council as the main body which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security?"

If the Security Council follows the logic of the United States, they should have called meetings after violent protests in Ferguson, Missouri or waves of unrest in any Western country, Nebenzia said.

The envoy urged the Security Council members to allow Iran to deal with its own problems and rather focus on crisis situations in Lybia, North Korea, Syria.

The UN Security Council briefing on Iranian protests was another foreign policy flop by the administration of US President Donald Trump, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Friday.

"The UNSC rebuffed the US' naked attempt to hijack its mandate. Majority emphasized the need to fully implement the JCPOA and to refrain from interfering in internal affairs of others. Another FP blunder for the Trump administration," he tweeted.

They and the United Kingdom also spoke in favor of keeping the 2015 deal with Tehran in place. Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States of calling the briefing to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which saw Iran scale back its nuclear activities in return for sanctions easing. President Trump has called it the worst deal ever.

The Iranian people have taken to the streets in major cities in the country since December 28, 2017, to protest against unemployment, poverty, rising cost of living and policies of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. At least 20 people have reportedly been killed and 450 have been detained, according to published reports.</s>UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - France’s ambassador to the United Nations told a U.N. Security Council meeting on Friday that recent protests in Iran do not threaten international peace and security, in what may be an implicit criticism of the United States for calling the meeting.

“However worrying the events of the last few days in Iran may be they do not constitute per se a threat to international peace and security,” Ambassador Francois Delattre said. “We must be wary of any attempts to exploit this crisis for personal ends, which would have the diametrically opposed outcome to that which is wished,” he said.</s>The United Nations Security Council’s emergency meeting on the recent protests in Iran at the request of the United States “discredits” the council and demonstrates how Washington “abuses” its powers as a permanent member to forward its own agenda, says Iran’s envoy to the UN.

Addressing the largely-divided session on Friday, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Gholamali Khoshroo expressed regret that the council had been forced to reconvene and discuss an issue that was “purely domestic.”

“It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this council has allowed itself to be abused by the current US administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate, putting on display the failure of the council to fulfill its real responsibility in maintaining international peace and security,” he asserted.

Last week, groups of peaceful protesters staged unauthorized gatherings in several areas across the country, calling on the authorities to address their economic issues. Despite having no mandate, the protests were allowed to go on uninterrupted for several days.

However, some of events turned violent after armed elements and vandals took the opportunity to destroy public property and attack police stations, killing and injuring dozens of people in the process.

While many countries such as Russia, Turkey and Syria condemned the violence, US President Donald Trump hyped up the unrest in a series of tweets, pledging continued support for the rioters.

"There is a long history of US bullying at the UN, but this is a preposterous example: the purely internal affairs of a nation—in this case protests that the Iranian government has addressed with the utmost respect for the rights of the protesters and with every attempt to deal with peacefully, despite violent infiltrators and direct encouragement by foreign forces including by the president of the United States—is not the subject of debate by the world’s most important security organ," Khoshroo explained.
• US mulling new Iran sanctions to bolster riots

Acknowledging the “legitimate grievances” of the people who held peaceful rallies, Khoshroo said Washington was in part responsible for their hardships by failing to deliver on its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.

Trump has adamantly pursued undermining the deal, which limits parts of Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program in exchange for lifting all nuclear-related sanctions.

Khoshroo also reminded council members such as the UK, France and the US of their long record in cracking down on protests.

He referred to Saudi Arabia’s ongoing war against Yemen and Israel’s occupation of Palestine as some of the “genuine issues” that the council should be focusing on instead.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also posted a tweet in reaction to the meeting, calling it another "blunder" for the US foreign policy.

Also speaking at the meeting was Russia’s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia, who accused Washington of trying to bend the UNSC mandate by supporting the unrest in Iran.

“We obviously regret the loss of lives as a result of the demonstrations that were not so peaceful. However, let Iran deal with its own problems, especially since this is precisely what’s taking place,” he said.

The Russian envoy then pointed to Washington’s handling of protests over widespread police killings of unarmed African Americans and crackdown on other social justice movements.

"If we follow your logic, then we should have meetings of the Security Council after the events in Ferguson or after the dispersal by force of the Occupy Wall Street movement in Manhattan.”

China's Deputy UN Ambassador Wu Haitao also took a similar line, saying the protests were a "domestic issue" of Iran and discussing them at the council "does not help resolve" them.</s>Washington (CNN) US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned Iran on Friday that no government can legitimately deny human rights, adding that the regime is "now on notice."

Haley's comments come at a United Nations Security Council meeting that centered on Iran after the US requested an emergency session amid protests in the country.

"Human rights are not the gift of governments, they are the inalienable rights of the people themselves," Haley said. "The Iranian regime is now on notice, the world will be watching what you do."

She added: "Freedom and human dignity cannot be separated from peace and security. When the rights of the people are denied, the people rightly resist. If the concerns are not acknowledged, then peace and security are inevitably threatened."

Haley said that "in the end, the Iranian people will determine their own destiny," and she reiterated US support for the protesters.

"And let there be no doubt whatsoever, the United States stands unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families and dignity for their nation," she added.

While most nations echoed Haley's support for human rights and free speech, some also voiced concern that the UN Security Council was not the appropriate venue to discuss protests in Iran.

"It is up to the Iranians, and to the Iranians alone, to pursue the path of peaceful dialogue, a dialogue based on full respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Iranian people," French Ambassador Francois Delattre said. "However worrying the events of the last few days in Iran may be, they do not constitute, per se, a threat to international peace and security."

Prior to the meeting, Delattre warned against the "instrumentalisation of the crisis from the outside because it would only reinforce the extremes, which is precisely what we want to avoid."

Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia also slammed the US for using the meeting to bring up the Iranian protests under a "bogus pretext."

"Let Iran deal with its own problems," said Nebenzia, who once again raised the idea of the Security Council meeting about protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and Occupy Wall Street demonstrations as the Russian mission to the UN did in a tweet on Tuesday.

"The move by the United States to bring to this council protests in Iran by some of our citizens for their legitimate grievances -- some exacerbated by none other than the US itself in its dereliction of its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action -- is an abuse of its power as a permanent member, and an abuse of the council itself," Iranian Ambassador to the UN Gholamali Khoshroo said.

"It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this council has allowed itself to be abused by the current US administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate, putting on display the failure of the council to fulfill its real responsibility in maintaining international peace and security," he said.

The US has been vocal in its support of the demonstrators and offered harsh condemnation of the Iranian government, including a tweet from President Donald Trump that called the Iranian regime "brutal and corrupt."

For its part, Iran has accused the US of "grotesque" meddling in social media to incite unrest -- and thus tampering with Iranian affairs, according to a letter sent to the UN on Thursday.

Haley said earlier this week that the US wanted emergency meetings in New York and in Geneva at the Human Rights Council to discuss the Iran situation.

Russia's deputy foreign minister has called the US proposal "harmful and destructive."

Differences in opinion between the US and Europe over how to address the situation in Iran began to manifest themselves ahead of Friday's meeting.

While the US and its European partners -- including the United Kingdom, France and Germany -- all fundamentally support the right of Iranian demonstrators to peacefully protest, they disagree in their analysis of where the situation on the ground is headed and over the strategic value of ramping up the rhetoric publicly, sources have told CNN.

Uncertainty over how long the protests will continue has prompted European countries to collectively take a much more cautious approach to what it says publicly than the US.
During a session of the United Nations Security Council, the United States repeat its "unapologetic" support for the ongoing Iranian protests. Russia denounces the "veiled [U.S.] attempt to use the current moment to continue to undermine" the JCPOA. France calls to "be wary of any attempt to exploit this crisis for personal ends".