UN assigns human rights investigator to Iran

The United Nations' Human Rights Council has appointed an investigator to look into human rights abuses in Iran, overcoming resistance from nations that considered it meddling with Tehran's internal affairs.

The proposal, championed by the US and Sweden, won approval in a 22-7 vote at the council; 14 nations abstained, and four of the council's 47 nations did not participate.

Iran and Pakistan echoed a widely held view on the council that such posts are an unnecessary intrusion into countries' internal affairs.