ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The World Economic Forum (WEF) said Monday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will not attend the event in Davos due to the loss of civilian lives in his country over the past weeks amid nationwide protests.

Iran has been engulfed in nationwide protests since late last year, starting with business owners and shopkeepers at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar going on strike and staging demonstrations over the rising cost of living.

The unrest later spread to other provinces, with chants increasingly targeting the state, prompting a harsh crackdown by authorities, who have labeled the protesters “rioters” and accused them of being agents of the US and Israel.

“The Iranian Foreign Minister will not be attending Davos. 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 forum said on X

Rights monitors report that over 3,000 protesters have been killed by Iranian security forces during the ongoing unrest, more than 2,000 injured, and over 22,000 arrested.

Iranian authorities have also cut communication services and imposed a nationwide internet blackout since January 8, which accompanied more violent measures against the protesters, despite claiming earlier that they would adopt a softer approach.

Ahead of the announcement that Araghchi would not attend the forum, US Senator Lindsey Graham - who regularly pushes for US intervention in Iran - slammed the “EU elite” for inviting the minister, calling it “the strongest sign of moral decay.”

“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,” Graham said on X.

“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,” he added.

Araghchi had previously been scheduled to speak at the forum before the withdrawal of his invitation, which was supported by rights groups.

US President Donald Trump last week claimed that “the killing in Iran is stopping - has stopped,” adding that Tehran has also canceled the planned execution of some 800 people.

Trump’s remarks marked a far cry from his previous comments, where he repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Iran killed protesters.

This year’s forum, running from January 19 until 23, will see around 3,000 leaders and senior officials, 65 heads of state and premiers, and nearly 850 company heads participate.