UN chief meets Iran’s president — but says nothing about massacre of protesters

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is under fire for meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian without once raising Tehran’s bloody crackdown on protesters or its executions — even as he emerged from the meeting demanding that the world respect international law.

Guterres listened as Pezeshkian condemned US actions and complained about the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. But when it came to Iran’s own alleged atrocities, there was silence. The UN confirmed the issue was not discussed, despite human rights groups estimating that more than 30,000 protesters were killed by regime forces during January’s crackdown.

UN Watch chief Hillel Neuer accused Guterres of ignoring the elephant in the room, highlighting that the UN chief called for restraint and respect for international law while failing to confront Tehran over what Neuer called the “slaughter of tens of thousands of civilian protesters.”