Iran’s Minister of Interior has rebuffed the UN fact finding mission on Iran calling it a media war against the regime.

Speaking at an ambassadorial meeting, Ahmad Vahidi said: “The enemy has created an unrealistic image of Iran in the minds of people in all parts of the world using its mainstream media.”

In spite of the deaths of around 750 civilians and arrest of 30,000 more, he claimed that in protests following the death in morality police custody of Mahsa Amini, the police and security forces 'exercised restraint', blatantly denying the brutal crackdowns which have been wrought across the country.

The Human Rights Council decided to establish an independent international fact-finding mission on Iran's deadly repression of protests in October, after unrest broke out in September. 

The UN mission in particular asked for information concerning violent crackdown on peaceful protests by security forces, including alleged arbitrary arrests and detentions, sexual and gender-based violence, excessive use of force, torture and other inhumane treatment and enforced disappearances, as well as the deaths of hundreds of peaceful protesters and thousands of arrests.

The mission is also seeking documentation on physical, psychological and sexual abuse of women and girls for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and children’s rights violations in relation to the protests, including in raids on schools, and the incarceration of children in ‘psychological centers.'