A Flood of Misinformation in a Short Message; Zarif's Response to the Cancellation of His Attendance at Davos

Following the announcement by the World Economic Forum regarding the cancellation of the invitation to Abbas Araqchi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, to speak at Davos, Araqchi reacted with a short message full of misinformation on X. In the first part of this message, he claimed that the cancellation of his invitation was based on 'lies and political pressure from Israel and its lobbyists and defenders' in the United States. However, according to independent information reviewed by Voice of America, the cancellation of Araqchi's invitation occurred one day before his trip to Davos by the World Economic Forum. The World Economic Forum clearly stated that the reason for retracting the invitation to Araqchi was the 'tragic loss of civilian lives in Iran in recent weeks' and that, for this reason, it was inappropriate for a representative of the Iranian government to attend Davos. Therefore, Araqchi's claim of pressure from Israel and American lobbyists is deemed incorrect and misleading. In another part of the same message, Araqchi claimed that the regime had to defend 'its people against armed terrorists and killings in the style of ISIS, which were clearly supported by Mossad.' However, based on Voice of America's investigations, there is no credible evidence or report indicating Mossad's support for violence or 'armed terrorists' during protests in Iran. Additionally, human rights sources and images sent from Iran clearly confirm that peaceful public protests were met with brutal repression and the use of military weapons against protesting citizens. As a result, Abbas Araqchi's claim of defending the people against armed terrorists and killings in the style of ISIS is fundamentally false and classified as fake news. In another part of his message, Araqchi complained about the fact that the invitation to Israeli officials to Davos was not canceled while he provided unverified statistics regarding casualties from the Gaza war. However, he made no mention of the thousands, and according to some reports, tens of thousands of Iranian civilians killed, the wounding of tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands more, and the arrest of countless individuals during just two days of bloody and horrific repression, especially given that there is no war currently ongoing in Iran. In the final part of his message, he referred to the 'right' of the people to know the truth and judge based on it, stating that those who think otherwise will be 'ashamed.' This is while the Islamic Republic, for which he works as Foreign Minister, has, up until the time of writing this article, blocked access to the internet and telephones for 90 million Iranians for almost 280 hours, thereby effectively trampling on the very right to know and judge. The cancellation of Araqchi's invitation to attend Davos was met with reactions from prominent political figures worldwide. The office of the Israeli presidency on Tuesday, January 30, published a message calling Araqchi 'the representative of the dark tyranny that tries to hide its crimes behind empty words,' stating that unlike him, Herzog, the President of Israel, is 'the representative of democracy that protects its citizens and the free world from murderous terrorism.' This message, which was translated into Persian on the Persian-language account of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, adds: 'A bloodthirsty regime that massacres its own people daily, executes women, men, and youth for their desire for freedom, and spreads terror and death throughout the Middle East is the last regime that can give moral lessons.' The message continues: 'The world decided to condemn the Iranian regime not due to political pressure, but due to a simple truth: Iran is the head of the snake. This regime arms, finances, and directs Hamas, Hezbollah, and others to commit crimes against humanity.' Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, also expressed happiness over this decision, emphasizing that Araqchi is 'the spokesperson for a terrorist regime' and should not participate and speak at this conference. Senator Lindsey Graham stated in a message published on the social network 'X' on Monday, January 29: 'On behalf of those seeking freedom from oppression and repression around the world, I thank you for not allowing the Iranian Foreign Minister to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos.' He added: 'I am very pleased to hear that the Davos organizers have realized that the Iranian Foreign Minister - the spokesperson for a terrorist regime that kills its citizens and has blood on its hands from Americans - should not participate and speak at the conference.' He praised the Davos group's actions, describing the 'clear and uncompromising condemnation of the Nazi religious regime in Iran' as 'exactly what the world should present.' The World Economic Forum announced on Monday, January 29, that in response to protests against the invitation to Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, to attend and speak at the Davos meeting, it had canceled this invitation. In a statement, the Forum stated: 'The Iranian Foreign Minister will not participate in Davos. He was invited last autumn, but the tragic killing of defenseless people in Iran in recent weeks means that the Iranian government should not have a representative at Davos this year.' Senator Graham had previously reacted to Araqchi's invitation, writing to the organizers of the World Economic Forum: 'It is clear what you are thinking? ... European elites have lost their moral compass. This is the strongest sign yet of moral decay; decay among those who enjoy freedom but abandon those who fight for it.' Earlier, Hillel Neuer, the executive director of UN Watch, a human rights organization based in Geneva, wrote in a message to Abbas Araqchi: 'If you step foot in Davos this week to attend the World Economic Forum, a criminal complaint will be filed with Swiss prosecutors. Your commanding role in the Supreme National Security Council in the mass killing of thousands of protesters constitutes a crime against humanity. Expect arrest, trial, and justice to be served.'