Iran's foreign minister will not be attending the Davos summit in Switzerland this week, the World Economic Forum said on Monday. Araghchi was supposed to appear on Davos stage on Tuesday.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will not attend the Davos summit in Switzerland this week, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said Monday, stressing that his participation would not be "right" after Tehran's recent deadly crackdown on demonstrations in the country.
Araghchi was supposed to speak at Davos on Tuesday lunchtime, in a one-on-one in-person conversation.
However the organisers of the gathering of political and business elites in the upscale Swiss resort town have been asked to disinvite him amid what rights groups have called a "massacre" in his country.
"The Iranian foreign minister will not be attending Davos," WEF stated in a post on X,
"Although he was invited last fall, the tragic loss of lives of civilians in Iran over the past few weeks means that it is not right for the Iranian government to be represented at Davos this year," the summit organisers added.
WEF Managing Director Mirek Dušek confirmed to Euronews on Monday that Araghchi was invited “some time ago”.
Dušek told Euronews' flagship morning show Europe Today that as of Monday morning, WEF did not "have a session with him in the programme.”
US Senator Lindsey Graham was among several voices who criticised the possibility of the Iranian foreign minister attending the WEF annual gathering.
“For those in charge of these programs, what the hell are you thinking? I cannot think of a worse message to send to the protestors," Graham said in a post on X.
“I am sure an invite to the Iranian Foreign Minister to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos will be a morale booster to the protestors who are dying in the streets to attain the liberties and freedoms Europe takes for granted - maybe not,” he said.
“Inviting the Iranian foreign minister to speak now would be akin to inviting Hitler to a world event after Kristallnacht. This decision gives tone deaf a new meaning. God bless the protestors. Keep protesting. Make Iran Great Again.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is expected to make his first appearance at Davos in six years, bringing with him what is expected to be Washington's largest-ever delegation to the Swiss Alps event.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency put the death toll on Sunday at some 3,919 people killed, warning it would likely go higher.
The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Insiders within Iran have told Euronews that fears persist that the death toll might have reached as many as 15,000 people.
All eyes on Iran
Over the weekend, Trump called for an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 37-year reign in Iran.
“It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” Trump said amid speculation over a possible military operation in the region involving US and Israeli forces.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reacted, saying any attack on the country's supreme leader would mean a declaration of war.
"An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation," Pezeshkian said in a post on X.
Trump also announced a 25% tariff on countries doing business with Tehran, specifically targeting the Islamic Republic's trade partners on top of existing sanctions.
The US president has yet to decide on a possible military intervention.
Last week, Trump repeatedly threatened Tehran with military intervention, promising help and support to the protesters.
Last Tuesday, he called on the people to keep protesting and “take over institutions,” saying that “help is on its way”.
Although the US personnel were moved from air bases in the region amid concerns over direct US–Iran confrontation, Trump did not proceed with the military intervention, saying he had been informed that the killings had stopped.
Khamenei has repeatedly accused Trump and Washington of fomenting unrest in Iran in an ever-escalating war of words.