Amir-Abdollahian, Hossein

Foreign minister (2021–present). Member of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). As the Critical Threats Project notes, "The SNSC is the highest defense and foreign policy body within the regime.. The council, under Khamenei, also dictates and oversees all efforts to quash protests."¹ 

In a March 1, 2023, interview with CNN, Amir-Abdollahian repeatedly denied that the Iranian regime engaged in gross human rights abuses during the Mahsa Amini protests in 2022–23. "I can tell you this, in full confidence, that police and the security forces in Iran have not killed anyone with bullets or any other means in these riots," he said. "In fact, the police, they were not even given permission to use firearms... [I]n the peaceful demonstrations in the fall, no one was arrested."² 
 

Sources: 

1. https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-crisis-update-january-14-2023?mkt_tok=NDc1LVBCUS05NzEAAAGJUcDJsJDOQK2TuME61Kr5cJ5x_Y_imEhNWFSkA4uAM_GB35QMHbSSFZ5uihUMH0xpXfJ5GIpYhWwClEhUoYJmoRfou2xiLanPzvxZpttXMkfilbl4 

2. https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/ampr/date/2023-03-01/segment/01