TEHRAN — Iran denounced as “political” the recent human rights report on Iran by the United Nations, Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday.

“Iran constantly moves towards enhancement and betterment of human rights, and this is based on religious guidelines, not international obligations or political reports,” Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary-general of Iran’s Human Rights Office, was quoted as saying.

The remarks by the Iranian official followed a new report by Javaid Rehman, the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran.

“At a time when the world is suffering from the attitudes and policies of such Western countries like the United States, issuance of such a report against Iran, which itself is a victim of these countries’ actions, is a completely political and diversionary measure,” he said.

The UN rapporteur had “intentionally” ignored various instances of extensive progress in the area of human rights in Iran, he added.