Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the situation of women, girls and ethnic and religious minorities in Iran following the protests that began in December 2025; and what steps her Department is taking to prioritise women’s and minority rights in its policy and engagement on Iran.

The human rights situation in Iran, including for women, girls and minorities, has long been unacceptable. As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 13 January: it takes huge bravery to protest and to speak out in the face of this oppression - especially for women who continue to endure severe repression in their daily lives. We led the call for a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council during the protests, and supported the continuation of the mandate of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission - to investigate human rights violations on grounds of gender, ethnicity, religion, or belief - and for the Mission to conduct an urgent investigation into human rights violations perpetrated during the protests. We will continue to work with international partners to hold Iran accountable for its repression of women and girls, and minorities.