Tehran, 29 August (H.S.):

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused Western countries of using human rights issues for political purposes, saying that human rights have become a “political weapon” in their hands and are being used to advance their own interests.

According to Press TV, Iran’s state-run international news network, Araghchi made the remarks during the ‘Minab School’ painting exhibition held in Tehran. The exhibition features artworks related to an attack on a school in Minab on February 28, which, according to Iranian accounts, took place on the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

The Iranian Foreign Minister said that if other countries genuinely wanted to see and understand the true meaning of human rights, they should visit the exhibition and reflect on the artworks displayed there.

Pointing towards the exhibition, Araghchi said, “Human rights are here.” According to him, the paintings on display portray the incident and its humanitarian consequences.

Araghchi referred to the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in the southern Iranian city of Minab. According to his account, missile strikes were carried out while 264 students were present in their classrooms.

According to the Iranian Foreign Minister’s claims, 168 students aged between seven and 12 and 26 teachers were killed in the attack, while more than 96 people were injured. However, these figures and the circumstances surrounding the attack could not be independently verified immediately.

Araghchi said Iran had lost the children of the Minab school, but they had become “an example of heroism” for the Iranian people. “The Minab school and its children have become an epic for the Iranian people,” he said, adding that Iran would neither forget nor ignore the incident.

He expressed hope that the exhibition could also be taken to other countries, provided they granted permission to display it and demonstrated the “courage” to confront what he described as the consequences of injustices related to human rights.

The Iranian Foreign Minister said his country’s position on human rights was clear, asserting that Iran “truly believes in human rights” and has always defended the rights of the Iranian people.

Araghchi said Iran would not allow other countries to use the issue of human rights for political purposes.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar