MNA – An Iranian diplomat noted that Washington’s coercive measures against other nations can be traced back to the long history of racial superiority in the United States.

Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh, Iran's Permanent Representative to the UN office in Geneva, made the remarks in an urgent meeting of the Human Rights Council on the issue of systemic racism in the United States.

“Systemic racism has taken root & flourished by the doctrine & habits of racial superiority; it originates from feeling of privileged supremacy, impunity, and dates far back to colonial era and slavery,” he said according to the Twitter account of the Iranian mission to Geneva.

“The long history of racial superiority has paved the way for modern police brutality at home and aggressive belligerent policies and bullying abroad. Resorting to coercion of all sorts against other nations is the practical outcome of this inhumane attitude,” he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said that Iran welcomes and supports the urgent meeting of the UN Human Rights Council on the issue.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that UN capacities, resources, and mechanisms should concentrate on combating phenomena such as racism," Mousavi said, noting that based on its religious, cultural and national teachings, Islamic Iran has always been a pioneer in countering and combating racism, and believes in systematic combat against racism in some parts of the world, especially in the US.

“Systemic racism, police brutality & violence against peaceful protests represent just the tip of the iceberg. Its high time the world works for the US regime's human rights accountability at home & abroad,” Foreign Ministry tweeted on Thursday.