TEHRAN – Iranian parliamentarians have reacted to baseless allegations being raised against Iran under the pretext of human rights and minority rights.
Speaking at the 18th United Nations Forum on Minority Issues to be held in Geneva on November 27 and 28, 2025, Kamal Hosseinpour strongly condemned the existence of terrorist and separatist groups, the self-styled mercenary Al-Ahvaziyeh Group, saying that they are armed to achieve terrorist objectives and openly claim responsibility for terrorist acts.
The theme of the UN event is “The contribution of minorities to diverse, resilient and peaceful societies.”
Al-Ahvaji is a separatist rebel terrorist group that advocates the creation of an “Arab” state by separating vast areas of southern Iran, including all of Khuzestan and Bushehr provinces, and seeks to achieve this goal by carrying out terrorist attacks against Iran.
The group, headquartered in Denmark and the Netherlands, has claimed responsibility for several assassinations, attacks on energy infrastructure and civilian soft targets, including a deadly terrorist attack on a military parade in Ahvaz, the capital of Iran’s Khuzestan province, on September 22, 2018. Iranian intelligence has revealed that the group is primarily funded by Israel.
Approximately 2% to 5% of the population of southern Iran speaks both Arabic and Persian. They have coexisted for centuries with the Bakhtiari, Lolu, and several other groups in Iran. Israel has long established and financed separatist groups in Iran’s south, as well as along its northern, western, and eastern borders. However, these efforts did not result in sowing the seeds of discord among the Iranian people, who have lived as one entity since at least the 6th century BC.
The majority of Iranians who advocate the collapse of the country live in Western countries. These people openly support Israel’s genocide in Gaza and praise the regime’s war against Iran in June, an illegal attack that killed about 1,100 people, mostly civilians.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian parliamentarian recalled that al-Ahvaziye is branded a terrorist organization by some countries, and said such organizations should not be given the opportunity to spread lies at the United Nations.
“Unfortunately, today we are witnessing a planned and systematic attack on our country in the name of human rights and minority rights, which goes against the principles of universality and neutrality of the United Nations,” he explained.
He stressed that those who commit crimes, whether Muslims or religious minorities, will be punished according to the law.
“Simply being a Baha’i or a non-Muslim is not grounds for punishment,” he said.