Lindsey Graham, a prominent Republican senator from the United States, published a message on the social media platform X criticizing the invitation of Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister of Iran’s regime, to the World Economic Forum meeting in the Swiss city of Davos and addressed the organizers of the meeting, writing:
“What the hell are you thinking? I cannot think of a worse message to send to the protestors.”
This year’s Davos meeting is being held from Monday to Friday, January 19 to January 23. Fox News, a major U.S. cable news network, had previously reported that despite the horrific killing of protesters by Iran’s regime, officials of the World Economic Forum had invited Abbas Araghchi to attend the meeting.
I am sure an invite to the Iranian Foreign Minister to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos will be a morale booster to the protestors who are dying in the streets to attain the liberties and freedoms Europe takes for granted – maybe not. For those in charge of these…
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 19, 2026
Senator Graham, in his post, compared inviting the foreign minister of Iran’s regime to speak at the Davos forum at the present time to
“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.”
On November nine, 1938, forces led by the Nazi Party in Germany attacked Jewish homes, shops, and synagogues in a number of cities in Germany and Austria, smashing windows and setting buildings on fire. This event is known in history as Kristallnacht, referring to the large amounts of shattered glass that covered the streets after Jewish property was destroyed.
Graham added: “European elites have lost their moral compass. This is the strongest sign yet of moral decay when it comes to people who enjoy freedom and abandoning those who are struggling for it.”
.@araghchi If you set foot in Davos this week, a criminal complaint will be filed with Swiss prosecutors. Your command role on the Supreme National Security Council in mass murder of thousands of protesters constitutes crimes against humanity. Expect arrest, trial, and justice.
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) January 18, 2026
Hillel Neuer, an international human rights lawyer and the executive director of United Nations Watch, also published a message on X addressing Abbas Araghchi, writing:
He does not benefit from immunity because international crimes such as crimes against humanity and torture are prohibited by jus cogens and cannot be protected by functional immunity. Acts like murder, torture, and rape can never qualify as legitimate “official acts” of a state.
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) January 18, 2026
The World Economic Forum has so far not responded to these protests. The invitation of Araghchi to Davos comes as the organizers of the Munich Security Conference withdrew their invitation to officials of Iran’s regime due to the bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran.
“Deployment of Lebanese militias to Iran” to suppress protests
The German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Sunday, January 18, citing the German News Agency, that over the past ten days movements have been observed involving Shiite militias leaving Lebanon. According to Spiegel, these individuals were mainly members of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, who traveled to Iraq under the cover of religious pilgrimage and then entered Iran to suppress protests.
Earlier, CNN, a major U.S. news network, had reported, citing a European military source and an Iraqi security source, that Iraqi militias had entered Iran in recent weeks to help Tehran suppress the latest nationwide protests. The informed Iraqi source told CNN that close to five thousand Iraqi militia forces entered Iran through a crossing in Maysan province and the Zarbatiyah border crossing in Wasit province in southern Iraq.
Fouad Hussein, Iraq’s foreign minister, met on Sunday during his visit to Tehran with Massoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran’s regime, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the regime’s parliament, Abbas Araghchi, the regime’s foreign minister, and Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran’s regime.
According to the state-run Tasnim News Agency, Pezeshkian emphasized the “strong and historical relations” between Iran and Iraq in his talks with Fouad Hussein and said: “Naturally, if we, the Islamic ummah, stand together and alongside one another, no power will be able to threaten us.”
Iraq’s foreign minister also noted that Iraqi officials are following the recent events in Iran “with special sensitivity and on a moment-by-moment basis,” saying: “The focus of all their contacts and communications with officials and leaders of other countries has been the security situation in the region centered around Iran.”
