Iran angrily rejected European Union criticism of its...

Iran angrily rejected European Union criticism of its human rights record and said the 25-nation bloc had much to learn from the Islamic Republic about respecting rights.
The comments by Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman signalled a further deterioration in dialogue between Iran and the EU on the rights theme which EU officials acknowledged had achieved little since talks started in 2002.
Spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said a tough EU statement issued after a fourth round of talks on rights in Tehran indicated the EU's "inability to accept transparent dialogue."
Speaking to the official IRNA news agency, Asefi criticised the EU for "ignoring the rights of minorities, discrimination against Muslims, Islamophobia and non-observance of refugees' rights."
"The European Union should learn from the opportunity of talks with an Islamic state with a rich cultural history and civilisation," he said.