Iran mocks UN with Doctor Strange, Sholay's Thakur meme

Iran's embassy in India has mocked the United Nations over what it described as the organisation's failure to take decisive action in conflicts around the world.

The embassy shared a meme yesterday (29 September) featuring Marvel character Doctor Strange alongside Thakur Baldev Singh from the 1975 Bollywood film Sholay.

According to The Times of India, the meme was shared amid renewed criticism from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of the UN's response to what Tehran describes as violations of the UN Charter by the United States and Israel.

The first panel showed Doctor Strange, a fictional character known for his magical powers and multiple arms, with the caption "UN according to school books". The image appeared to portray the UN as a powerful organisation capable of addressing major global issues.

The second panel featured Thakur, played by Sanjeev Kumar in Sholay, whose hands were amputated by the film's antagonist Gabbar Singh, played by Amjad Khan. It was captioned "UN in reality", implying that the global body is powerless in practice.

Iranian diplomatic missions have previously used memes to criticise the United States and President Donald Trump amid tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Trump has also repeatedly criticised the UN since returning to office, questioning its effectiveness in addressing major international conflicts.

Meanwhile, Araghchi met outgoing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York during his visit for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported.

During the meeting, Araghchi briefed Guterres on developments in the Middle East and said Iran, as a founding member of the UN, expected the organisation and its member states to respond to what Tehran described as violations of international law and "blatant breaches" of the UN Charter.

He also called for condemnation of what Iran described as US interventionist measures and "illegal threats" against Iran.