UN Chief Guterres congratulates Iran on regime anniversary after crackdown that killed thousands

Opponents of the Iranian government said the congratulatory note risked appearing inconsistent with the U.N.’s stated concerns.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A formal message from U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres congratulating Iran on the anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution has triggered criticism from Iranian opposition figures and human rights advocates, particularly after the brutal crackdown against protesters, IRNA reports.

According to Iranian state and regional reports published Wednesday, Guterres wrote to President Masoud Pezeshkian to convey his “warmest congratulations on the National Day of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The letter characterized such national observances as opportunities to reflect on a country’s historical path and its contributions to the international community.

The communication was issued shortly after the United Nations’ leading human rights body condemned Tehran over its response to anti-government demonstrations and mandated continued investigation into alleged abuses.

Some accounts have cited possible casualty figures of up to 30,000, though those numbers remain unverified.

Opponents of the Iranian government said the congratulatory note risked appearing inconsistent with the U.N.’s stated concerns.

Analyst Banafsheh Zand told Fox News the message as “not merely diplomatic routine — it is abjectly tone-deaf,” adding that “at a time when the Iranian people continue to endure executions, repression and systemic abuse at the hands of the Islamic Republic, offering formal congratulations to the architects of that suffering reads as a moral failure.”

She further argued that such gestures “erode [the U.N.’s] credibility and deepen the wound for those still fighting for freedom inside Iran.”

Andrew Ghalili, policy director at the National Union for Democracy in Iran, said, “The United Nations is legitimizing a regime built on repression, executions and the systematic destruction of basic freedoms,” asserting that commemorating the revolution overlooks “the bloodshed, the repression of protesters and the ongoing hostage-taking of innocent people.”

U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric defended the correspondence as standard practice, saying identical letters are sent annually to member states marking national holidays and “should not be interpreted… as an endorsement of whatever policies may be put in place by the government.”

He added that the message “doesn’t change the secretary-general’s view” on Iran’s conduct, noting Guterres has previously spoken out about the crackdown.

Separately, NGO U.N. Watch reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to address the Human Rights Council on Feb. 23, a decision Dujarric said rests with the council itself.