The Security Council held an informal meeting on the protests in Iran, organized by the United States and Albania, and included several briefings, one of which was for the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran.
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, said in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera that this session aims to make "Iran realize that its behavior is condemned and that the protesters realize the world's support for them."
Greenfield explained that "Iran failed in its call for countries not to attend the Security Council session to discuss the protests."
The demonstrations in Iran have entered their seventh week, as Iranians of all backgrounds and affiliations have been demonstrating since the death of the 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, on September 16 last, 3 days after she was detained by the morality police for not wearing modest clothes.
The Hrana news agency, which deals with human rights in Iran, said that 283 demonstrators were killed in the protests as of last Saturday, including 44 minors.
Some 34 members of the security forces were also killed.
The agency added that more than 14,000 people, including 253 students, were arrested during protests in 132 cities and towns and 122 universities.
The Iranian authorities accuse foreign parties of being behind these demonstrations, and last Monday imposed sanctions on American individuals and entities, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), for encouraging them to "violence and unrest."
This was denied by Greenfield to Al-Jazeera, noting that "the protesters in Iran took to the streets, because they are tired of the situation and have nothing to do with the United States," as she put it.
In the same context, the White House said in a statement, "We will continue to hold Iranian officials and entities that suppress protesters accountable until Tehran changes its behavior."