The Islamic Republic, which has blamed the unrest on its foreign foes including the United States, sees its crackdown on protests as aimed at preserving national sovereignty. The strongly worded U.N. rights office statement comes as Turk continues to push for a trip to the country and a meeting with its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a senior U.N. rights official Mohammad Ali Alnsour said at a Geneva press briefing on Tuesday.