The World Economic Forum has disinvited Iran’s foreign minister from this year’s Davos conference, following mounting international outrage over the Islamic Republic’s deadly crackdown on anti-regime protests.

In a statement, the World Economic Forum said the decision was driven by the heavy civilian death toll in Iran in recent weeks. “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 forum said, confirming that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had been invited before the protests erupted.

The Iranian regime has acknowledged that thousands of people were killed or arrested as authorities violently suppressed nationwide demonstrations sparked by the country’s worsening economic crisis. Human rights organizations and dissident media outlets have reported widespread abuses, including torture, sexual violence, and extrajudicial killings carried out against protesters.

Ahead of the decision, Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, publicly warned Araghchi that his presence in Switzerland would be met with legal action.

“In wake of our plan to file a criminal complaint for Swiss authorities to arrest him for crimes against humanity, given his role in the regime murdering protesters, Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will NOT be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos this week,” Neuer wrote on X.

Before Araghchi was formally disinvited, the nonpartisan policy group United Against Nuclear Iran said it had learned that the Iranian foreign minister had been “quietly added” to the Davos program as a scheduled speaker.

“The message the WEF is sending: You can shoot Iranians in the eyes and genitals, murder thousands of them, and shut off the internet for your people but still be welcomed in Davos that same month,” UANI said in a statement. “The WEF’s theme this year is ‘A Spirit of Dialogue.’ Instead of dialogue, the Islamic Republic offered bullets to these brave Iranians.”

The annual Davos gathering is expected to host more than 3,000 delegates from over 130 countries, including 64 heads of state and government, many from emerging economies.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend this year’s conference, which is anticipated to include significant diplomatic engagement. According to Reuters, Kirill Dmitriev, a special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is also scheduled to meet with members of the U.S. delegation during the event.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)