Iranian FM blasts WEF over Davos ban, blaming Israel for move

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday blamed Israel for the World Economic Forum’s decision to cancel his planned appearance at its Davos, Switzerland, meeting this week, a move the forum said was prompted by deadly crackdowns on protesters in Iran.

Tehran’s top diplomat claimed that the organization made its decision “on the basis of lies and political pressure from Israel and its U.S.-based proxies and apologists.”

He then went on to declare that the regime was defending the Iranian people “against armed terrorists and ISIS-style killings openly backed by Mossad.”

Araghchi accused the WEF of double standards, saying it never barred Israeli officials despite what he called Israel’s genocide of Palestinians and the killing of 71,000 people in Gaza, citing figures from Hamas-run health authorities that have not been independently verified. Jerusalem has denied accusations of genocide following Hamas’s October 2023 attack, with officials calling such claims an antisemitic blood libel.

The Islamic Republic minister also noted that Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Davos in January 2024 even as activists in Switzerland sought legal action against him over alleged genocide in Gaza.

Herzog’s office responded on X, saying: “The same murderous Iranian regime massacring its own people day after day, executing innocent women and men for daring to call for their freedom, and spreading terror and death across the Middle East is in no position to lecture others on ‘morality.’

“International condemnation of the Iranian regime is not the result of political pressure, but of a simple and undeniable truth: The Iranian regime is the head of the snake that arms, funds and directs Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist proxies committing crimes against humanity.

“While President Herzog represents a democracy that defends its citizens and the free world against murderous terrorism, Iran’s foreign minister represents a brutal and tyrannical regime that attempts to mask its heinous crimes with hollow rhetoric.”

Herzog is set to travel to Davos on Tuesday to lead a delegation to the WEF’s 56th annual meeting. The annual conference, held under the slogan “A Spirit of Dialogue,” kicked off on Monday and will run through Friday.

“If WEF wants to feign a supposedly ‘moral’ stance, that is its prerogative. But it should at least be consistent about it. The current blatant double standard only conveys moral depravity and intellectual bankruptcy. People have the right to know the truth and judge for themselves. Shame is solely reserved for those who think otherwise,” Araghchi wrote.

He shared an English‑language regime propaganda video that claimed the economic hardships behind the protests that began in Iran on Dec. 28 were the “direct result of America’s economic terrorism,” referring to U.S. sanctions on the regime. While the initial protests were condoned by the Islamist government, the video alleges that they were later hijacked by Mossad agents and ISIS-style terrorists, showing purported footage and eyewitness accounts. It further claimed that the killing of protesters was “by foreign bullets, not Iran’s law enforcement.”

The minister’s remarks came after the WEF earlier on Monday posted to X that despite Araghchi being 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.” Araghchi was supposed to appear at the Swiss ski resort on Tuesday.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was among those who criticized the invitation to Araghchi, writing on X on Monday shortly before the cancellation that “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.”

“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. Again, what President [Donald] Trump did urging people to keep protesting is the right answer. European elites have lost their moral compass,” the senior Republican lawmaker wrote.

“This is the strongest sign yet of moral decay when it comes to people who enjoy freedom and abandoning those who are struggling for it. 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,” Graham concluded.

According to Monday’s update from the widely cited U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the number of confirmed fatalities in Iran has reached 4,029, including 3,786 protesters. A further 9,049 deaths are under review. Additionally, 5,811 people have been severely injured and 26,015 arrests have taken place, with 167 documented cases of forced confessions broadcast on television.

“Given the severe communication restrictions, the prevailing security atmosphere, and the lack of free access to information, the actual figures may be higher than those listed above. The statistics presented here are based solely on individual-based reports received and cases that could be verified,” HRANA emphasized.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei publicly acknowledged for the first time on Saturday that “several thousand” people were killed in the nationwide protests, while attributing the deaths and damage to “those linked to Israel and the U.S.,” as quoted by Iranian state media.

“We consider the U.S. president criminal for the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation,” Khamenei continued.

Estimates of the number of protesters murdered by the regime’s forces range from a few thousand to the tens of thousands, with the full picture of the casualties difficult to determine amid a government-imposed internet shutdown that began on Jan. 8.

According to HRANA, 625 protests have been recorded in 188 cities in all 31 provinces.

The largest protests since 1979 have spread across Iran, with demonstrators filling the streets of Tehran, Mashhad and other urban centers. The nationwide unrest was triggered by soaring inflation and the collapse of the rial, which has plunged to about 1.46 million to the dollar. What began as anger over prices and a sinking currency has widened into open calls to end clerical rule, with strikes shuttering markets and businesses in commercial hubs.

The unrest comes as Iran’s leadership grapples with long-running U.S. sanctions and the U.N. “snapback” sanctions that restored nuclear-related measures, alongside mounting strains on the country’s water and energy systems. Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear and energy facilities in June 2025 caused significant damage and have further complicated Tehran’s already fragile energy landscape.