TEHRAN: Iran on Monday (Feb 20) slammed the organisers of the Munich Security Conference for inviting the son of the deposed shah to attend last weekend’s event.
“Inviting the son of a deposed and fugitive dictator to the Munich conference is a mockery of the great nation of Iran,” foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said.
He was referring to Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah who was overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Pahlavi, 62, who now lives in the United States was invited to the conference while Iranian officials were kept out, and delivered a speech.
Speaking at a weekly news conference, Kanani criticised the organisers of the conference for making a “huge mistake” for “giving the stage to notorious people”.
Conference president Christoph Heusgen said in early February that he had not invited Iran to attend due to the crackdown on protests that began in mid-September last year.
Iran has been rocked by protests since the Sep 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old ethnic Kurd who died after her arrest for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
Thousands of people were arrested for their alleged involvement in the protest movement and four men were hanged.
Pahlavi represents one of the many components of the opposition based outside Iran but has failed to gain unanimity among the diaspora.
He is accused by some of having failed to distance himself from the authoritarian rule of his father, lacking transparency on his idea for governance, and for not acting against pro-monarchy supporters on social media.
Over the years, Pahlavi has insisted that he is not seeking a return to monarchy but said he wants to play a role in creating a secular democratic system in Iran.
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