"We don't like some aspects of the way Australia treats Iranians who have been basically lied to by human smugglers who come to Australia," he said. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop with Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Javad Zarif on Tuesday. Credit:Andrew Meares "The fact that they live in unconscionable situations," he added. Former Labor Foreign Minister Bob Carr argued Iranian migrants were arriving on boats carrying asylum seekers, which arrived in Australia during the Rudd-Gillard years. Dr Zarif said any Iranian wrongly claiming persecution to try and gain access to Australia had to pay the price for their actions.

"People who use human rights for political reasons...people who make the arguments have to pay for it," he said. Australia's treatment of asylum seekers, particularly the use of offshore detention, is frequently condemned internationally, including by the United Nations and groups such as Human Rights Watch (HRW). So too though is Iran's human rights record. In its 2015 report on the country, HRW condemned Iran's use of the death penalty, restrictions on free speech and dissent, and discrimination against women, among other issues. Dr Zarif played down concerns about Iran's human rights record in the interview, saying the country was one of the few in the region to have elections and a human rights rapporteur. He urged his counterparts to engage in a dialogue with Iran instead of preaching one-way monologues.

No deal Dr Zarif's comments are a blow for the Australian government which has unsuccessfully been pleading with Tehran to return failed Iranian asylum seekers. Last week, Julie Bishop was quoted talking up the strength of the relationship in an article published by the foreign minister's hometown newspaper The West Australian, which predicted a deal would be struck during her Iranian counterpart's visit. But the Iranian Ambassador to Australia swiftly rejected speculation of an agreement.

And Dr Zarif said while any Iranian who opted to come home would have their safety guaranteed "without question", his government would never accept the forced return of its citizens. "We did not send these people out, these people were lured by human traffickers and by propaganda," he said. Follow Latika Bourke on Facebook