Tehran: Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi has criticized the United States for applying double standards on human rights, asserting that Washington disregards legal principles whenever issues concerning the Israeli regime arise.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Gharibabadi highlighted a recent US federal court order that temporarily suspended sanctions imposed by Washington against Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories. Albanese faced sanctions from the US in July 2025 after she publicly criticized its policy on the Israeli regime's actions in Gaza.

Gharibabadi emphasized that human rights in the US are only respected until they involve the Israeli regime. He stated that when accountability for the regime and its supporters over crimes in Gaza is raised, Washington resorts to sanctions, threats, and intimidation instead of defending the law.

The Iranian diplomat pointed out that sanctioning a UN special rapporteur for seeking accountability through the International Criminal Court reveals the true nature of US human rights policy: protection for allies and condemnation for adversaries. This approach, he argued, reflects a double standard that has held international justice hostage to Washington's political interests for years.

Gharibabadi further criticized the US for speaking of a rules-based order while targeting institutions and experts that approach the Israeli regime's actions with scrutiny. He concluded that if international law is only valid as long as it does not affect US allies, it becomes a tool of domination. He urged that the independence of UN missions and the rights of Palestinian victims to truth and justice must not be compromised to shield Israel from accountability.