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The World Economic Forum said, “Although Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi 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”. File | Photo Credit: AP
Abbas Araghchi had been scheduled to speak on Tuesday (January 20) during the annual gathering of the global elite at the upscale Swiss ski resort town.
But activists have been calling on the World Economic Forum organisers to disinvite him amid what rights groups have called a “massacre” in his country.
“The Iranian Foreign Minister will not be attending Davos,” the World Economic Forum said 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,” it added.
Demonstrations sparked by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests late December in what has been widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in recent years.
The rallies subsided after a government crackdown under the cover of a communications blackout that started on January 8.
Norway-based Iran Human Rights says it has verified the deaths of 3,428 protesters killed by security forces, confirming cases through sources within the Islamic Republic’s health and medical system, witnesses and independent sources.
The NGO warned that the true toll is likely to be far higher. The media cannot independently confirm the figure, and Iranian officials have not given an exact death toll.
Published – January 19, 2026 06:55 pm IST
