Iran rejects UN probe into protests, says foreign ministry

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Iran will reject a newly-appointed independent U.N. investigation into the country's repression of anti-government protests, the foreign ministry said on Monday, as demonstrations showed no sign of abating. "Iran will have no cooperation with the political committee formed by the U.N. Rights Council," ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.

The U.N. Rights Council voted on Thursday to appoint a probe into Iran's deadly crackdown on protests. Volker Turk, the U.N. rights commissioner, had earlier demanded that Iran end its "disproportionate" use of force in quashing protests that erupted after the death in custody of 22-year old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16. Activist news agency HRANA said 450 protesters had been killed in more than two months of nationwide unrest as of Nov. 26, including 63 minors. It said 60 members of the security forces had been killed, and 18,173 protesters detained.

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Challenging the Islamic Republic's legitimacy, protesters from all walks of life have burnt pictures of Khamenei and called for the downfall of Iran's Shi'ite Muslim theocracy. The protests have particularly focused on women's rights - Amini was detained by morality police for attire deemed inappropriate under Iran's Islamic dress code - but have also called for the fall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has proof that Western nations were involved in protests that have swept the country, the foreign ministry said on Monday. "We have specific information proving that the U.S., Western countries and some of the American allies have had a role in the protests," ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani added.

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