Tuesday, January 20, 2026 - Iran’s foreign minister will no longer attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, after organizers said it would be inappropriate for the country to be represented following weeks of deadly protests and a violent crackdown by security forces.
Abbas Araghchi had been scheduled to speak on Tuesday at the
annual gathering of political and business leaders in the Swiss ski resort.
However, pressure mounted on organizers after rights groups and activists
accused Iranian authorities of carrying out mass killings during nationwide
demonstrations.
Confirming the decision on Monday, the World Economic Forum
said the Iranian foreign minister would not be attending the summit.
“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 organization
said.
Protests erupted across Iran in late December, driven by
widespread anger over economic hardship and living conditions, in what
observers described as one of the most serious challenges to the country’s
leadership in recent years.
The demonstrations later subsided following a heavy security
crackdown, which coincided with a communications blackout imposed from January
8.
Norway-based group Iran Human Rights said it has verified
the deaths of 3,428 protesters allegedly killed by Iranian security forces. The
organization said its figures were confirmed through sources within Iran’s
health and medical system, eyewitness accounts and other independent channels.
The group warned that the actual death toll could be
significantly higher. The figures have not been independently verified by media
organizations, and Iranian authorities have not released an official casualty
count.
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