Human rights 'tool' for US: Iranian lawmaker

TEHRAN - A senior Iranian lawmaker said Sunday that human rights serve as a "tool" for the United States to pursue its objectives in the world, Press TV reported.

Mansour Haqiqatpour, deputy chairman of Iran's Majlis ( parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, made the remarks when commenting on a recent report by UN special rapporteur on human rights situation in Iran Ahmed Shaheed.

He was quoted as saying that the rapporteurs do not have the "courage" to reveal the realities of the international community, and that countries imposing sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran are the biggest violators of human rights.

"Sanctions threaten the lives of some Iranian patients," Haqiqatpour said, adding that the West is responsible for Iran's production decrease and unemployment by stopping the sales of certain products to Iran, which is the "most vivid" instance of human rights violations by the West.

Shaheed said Thursday in the report that Iran had repeatedly limited freedom of media and right activists inside the country, detained a number of them and mistreated them.

Iranian foreign ministry dismissed the report on Friday as "politically motivated", "biased" and without any legal basis. It said in a statement that the report is a reflection of "Western animosity toward Iran," according to Press TV.

"Ahmad Shaheed's report contains repeated claims which the Islamic republic has dismissed several times. In addition, his claims are based on accounts by Iran's enemies, resulting in an unsubstantiated report that does not reflect the realities on the ground in the country," said the statement.