Tehran's Protest to Poland for Hosting a Conference Organized by the U.S. on Iran

Iranian officials reacted to the news of an international conference that the U.S. will hold next month regarding Iran, targeting Poland, the host of the conference, with criticism. They recalled World War II, noting that Iran hosted many Poles who fled the war. Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, shared a photo from the 1996 Sharm El Sheikh conference aimed at peace between Israel and Palestine, stating: "A reminder for the host and participants of the anti-Iran conference; those who attended the last American anti-Iran show are either dead or have been disgraced and sidelined." He emphasized that "Iran is now stronger than ever." The image shared by Zarif shows Bill Clinton, the then U.S. President, alongside Hosni Mubarak and Boris Yeltsin, the then Presidents of Egypt and Russia, Shimon Peres, the then Prime Minister of Israel, and Yasser Arafat, the then head of the Palestinian Authority. On Friday, January 21, Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, announced a global conference to be held on February 13 and 14, described as part of the "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran. The Interfax news network quoted Pompeo stating that the goal of the conference is to "promote stability and freedom in the Middle East with an emphasis on countering Iran's regional influence." Poland will host this conference, which has sparked Tehran's objections. Zarif further tweeted: "The Polish government cannot erase this stain of disgrace. Once Iran saved the lives of Poles during World War II. Now this country is hosting this desperate anti-Iran circus." World War II, marked by the military invasion of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union, forced thousands of Polish refugees to migrate to Iran. Zarif also shared a document from the British Embassy in Tehran showing that 21,691 civilians along with 1,554 Polish military personnel sought refuge in Iran at that time. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, also tweeted statistics about Polish deceased in Iran, whose graves still exist in the country. According to him, "Graves in Iran can be replaced after 30 years, but the people of Tehran have maintained respect for their guests for 77 years." He stated that the number of Polish migrants buried in Iran is 1,892. The U.S. State Department has announced that dozens of countries will participate in the conference in Poland, countries that share common interests in establishing stability in the Middle East. The department's statement adds that a range of critical issues will be discussed at this international meeting, including terrorism, extremism, missile development and nuclear non-proliferation, maritime security and trade, and threats posed by proxy groups in the region.