Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : India Joins China And Pakistan In Voting Against UNHRC Resolution Targeting Iran and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
India has voted against a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution condemning Iran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests, joining six other countries including China and Pakistan in opposing the Western-backed measure.
The resolution, which passed 25-7 with 14 abstentions during the council’s 39th special session on Friday (23 January), strongly deplored Iran’s suppression of peaceful protests that have resulted in thousands of deaths since demonstrations began on 28th December.
The resolution extended the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran for two years and renewed the Special Rapporteur’s mandate for one year.
It also called for an urgent investigation into allegations of serious human rights violations linked to the protests, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, sexual violence and torture.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk told the council that thousands of people, including children, were killed in what he described as Iran’s brutal repression of protesters.
Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, publicly thanked New Delhi for its support, posting on social media that India’s stance reflected its commitment to justice, multilateralism and national sovereignty.
The Iranian envoy called the resolution unjust and politically motivated, echoing Tehran’s dismissal of the measure.
This marks the first time India has voted against a UNHRC resolution on an investigative body related to Iran, having previously abstained in November 2022 and April 2024.
New Delhi’s vote was driven by its traditional discomfort with country-specific resolutions at the UNHRC, though diplomatic calculations related to the Chabahar port also played a role.
The United States revoked sanctions waivers for Chabahar in September 2025, and India subsequently received a conditional six-month waiver valid until 26 April.
US President Donald Trump’s threat on 12 January to impose an additional 25 per cent tariff on any country doing business with Iran has added further pressure on India’s diplomatic balancing act between maintaining strategic ties with Tehran and managing relations with Western partners.
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