On Wednesday, 29 voted in favor, eight against and there were 16 abstentions. U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told ECOSOC before the vote that removing Iran was the right thing to do, describing Tehran’s membership as an “ugly stain on the commission’s credibility.”.
Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani called the U.S. move as illegal, describing the United States as a bully.
The 45-member Commission on the Status of Women meets annually every March and aims to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Only five of the signatories to the letter are currently ECOSOC members and were able to vote on Wednesday.
Iran has blamed its foreign enemies and their agents for the unrest.
Tehran accused Western states of using the council to target Iran in an "appalling and disgraceful" move. »