The story: Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has defended Iran’s human rights record, blaming the killings of protesters on “rioters.”

The trip to Switzerland followed speculations that a key architect of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal could join Amir-Abdollahian on a mission to revive the accord. This comes as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been invited to Tehran.

The coverage: The Iranian foreign minister addressed the 52^nd session of the UN Human Rights Council on Feb. 27 amid calls on social media for diplomats to walk out during his speech.

Amir-Abdollahian defended the Islamic Republic’s response to months of deadly protests that first erupted in Sept. 2022, claiming that security forces "did not have permission to use firearms."
The Iranian chief diplomat blamed the reported deaths of hundreds of protesters on "rioters" who "murdered many people" by allegedly using guns and bladed weapons.
Amir-Abdollahian also criticized the UN's human rights mechanisms, which he said "can hardly gain credence as long as Palestine remains occupied and the Israeli atrocities go on."

The Iranian foreign minister met several of his western counterparts on the sidelines of the UN meeting—including the top diplomats of Belgium and Finland.

Amir-Abdollahian told Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib that Tehran was "ready to resolve problems pertaining to prisoners" in the two countries.
Separately, the Iranian top diplomat noted to Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto that the Islamic Republic "strongly opposes" NATO's "expansion." He also rejected "fake" reports that Iran is providing drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.

Ahead of Amir-Abdollahian’s trip to Geneva, the Iranian capital was abuzz with rumors of former senior nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi being set to accompany the foreign minister.

Speculations were rife that the key architect of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal would be traveling to Switzerland to help resuscitate talks geared to revive the accord.
However, Araghchi—who served as deputy foreign minister for political affairs during moderate Hassan Rouhani's second term (2017-21)—rejected the rumors on Feb. 27.

On the same day, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) announced that the head of the UN nuclear watchdog had been invited to visit Iran "in the coming days."

Rafael Grossi’s reportedly upcoming visit to Tehran follows the reported detection of 84%-enriched uranium in Iran, which has put even more pressure on an already strained relationship between the Islamic Republic and the IAEA.
Grossi’s trip will also likely come ahead of the IAEA Board of Governors’ quarterly meeting, which is expected to result in further censure of Iran over alleged lack of cooperation.

The context/analysis: The Iranian political establishment has been rocked by protests sparked by the death of a young woman in morality police custody in Sept. 2022.

The foreign-based rights group HRANA says 530 protesters were killed as security forces cracked down on unrest.
Street protests have largely fizzled out. However, worshipers in the southeastern city of Zahedan continue to gather on Fridays to hear prominent Sunni cleric Abdolhamid Esmailzehi deliver sermons critical of Iran's top brass.

At least four people arrested during the protests have been executed while many are charged with offenses that carry the death penalty.

Amnesty International and UN-appointed independent human rights experts have condemned the clampdown on protests, subsequent trials, and the executions.
Britain, Canada, the European Union, and the US have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Iranian officials and entities over the Islamic Republic’s response to the unrest.

Talks to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—as the nuclear deal is formally known—have been stalled for months.

Amir-Abdollahian warned on Feb. 22 that Iran would consider an alternative approach—which he referred to as "Plan B"—if diplomacy fails to restore the JCPOA.
The Iranian top diplomat claimed recently that the US had told Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein that it is "ready to conclude" the talks. However, the Joe Biden administration insists that reviving the JCPOA no longer tops its agenda.
Iran has asserted that several matters remain unsettled, with the primary points of contention including the settling of an IAEA probe into uranium traces found at three old but undeclared sites.

The future: Hit by economic woes and a recent plunge in the value of the rial, the Ebrahim Raisi administration has recently indicated that it is willing to resume indirect nuclear talks with the US where things were left last autumn.

However, following the bloody crackdown on protests in recent months and western outrage over Iran’s arms exports to Russia, the US may no longer seek to restore the JCPOA.
Iran has frequently reiterated that it does not want nuclear weapons. Yet, Tehran may be banking on the detection of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade to be seen as a warning that its decision not to pursue an atomic bomb is purely political.
Few observers expect a visit by Grossi to break the deadlock over the Agency’s probe or forestall further censure of Tehran at the upcoming IAEA Board of Governors meeting.