Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has referred to the desperate situation of millions of Afghans and warned of exploitation of humanitarian aid direly needed by them.

Amir Saied Iravani made the remarks before a United Nations Security Council briefing on the situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday.

"The situation [in Afghanistan] remains dire, with an estimated 28 million people projected to require humanitarian and protection assistance in 2023," the envoy said.

"However, we must be cautious of the politicization or exploitation of humanitarian aid for political purposes," Iravani asserted, noting, "Such practices would harm the Afghan people who depend on this aid for their survival."

"It is also crucial that the release of frozen assets belonging to the Afghan people is expedited and not subject to political conditions. This is critical for restoring the Afghan economy and saving lives."

Afghanistan has about $9 billion in assets overseas, including $7 billion in the United States. The rest is mostly in Germany, the United Arab Emirates, and Switzerland.

Last February, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order allocating $3.5 billion in Afghan assets for humanitarian aid to a trust fund to be managed by the UN to provide aid to Afghans, and $3.5 billion allocated for the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks.