'Not Right To Be Represented': WEF Says Iran Will Skip Forum Over Deadly Protests

Last Updated:January 19, 2026, 18:58 IST

Iranian Foreign Minister had been scheduled to speak on Tuesday during the gathering of global leaders, business executives and policymakers at the Swiss ski resort town.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. (AFP photo)

The World Economic Forum (WEF) on Monday said Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, will not be attending the annual Davos summit in Switzerland this week.

“The Iranian Foreign Minister will not be attending Davos," the WEF 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."

Araghchi had been scheduled to speak on Tuesday during the gathering of global leaders, business executives and policymakers at the Swiss ski resort town.

Activists and rights groups had called on the WEF to disinvite him following a deadly crackdown on protesters in Iran, which they described as a “massacre."

Demonstrations erupted in late December over economic hardship and quickly became the largest challenge to the Iranian leadership in recent years.

The rallies were largely suppressed after the government imposed a communications blackout on January 8. According to Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, at least 3,428 protesters have been verified as killed by security forces.

The figure is based on sources within Iran’s health system, eyewitness accounts, and independent investigations, though the true toll is believed to be higher. Iranian officials have not provided an exact death toll.

(With inputs from AFP)

News world 'Not Right To Be Represented': WEF Says Iran Will Skip Forum Over Deadly Protests

Read More