Controversy Over the Presence of 'Terrorist Basij' in Brussels; Belgian Official Resigns After Inviting Zakani

Pascal Smets, the official in charge of urban planning and international affairs for the Brussels municipality, resigned on Sunday, June 18, following the uproar caused by the invitation extended to Alireza Zakani, the mayor of Tehran, to the Belgian capital. Smets insisted that he had committed no wrongdoing and added that all documents related to his correspondence regarding the invitation and visa issuance for the Tehran mayor and his companions had been submitted to the Belgian Parliament. In this context, Darya Safai, an Iranian-born member of the Belgian Parliament, announced in a tweet that Pascal Smets had resigned due to pressures from her and her colleagues over the invitation to Alireza Zakani. Additionally, Theo Francken, a member of the Belgian Parliament, also tweeted that Pascal Smets, who had invited Zakani, described as a 'terrorist Basij,' had resigned due to 'excessive political pressure.' This Belgian politician further called for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be listed as a terrorist organization and for 'getting rid of the Islamic Republic.' Alireza Zakani and several officials from the Islamic Republic traveled to Brussels last Sunday for a three-day visit to participate in the Metropolis General Assembly, an association of major world metropolises. His presence in Brussels was met with protests from a group of Iranians residing in Belgium. Protests by students against Zakani's presence at Sharif University; December 15, the capital's municipality is seeking to sell public assets; Zakani: 'Asset generation' is the solution to problems. The mayor of Tehran considered the decline in the national currency's value as an 'enemy project.'