The accomodation in Brussels of Alireza Zakani, a member of Iran’s  Revolutionary Guard Corps, was paid by the Brussels region.

A Brussels regional minister resigned after coming under fire for inviting the hardline mayor of Tehran to a conference.

ultra-conservative mayor of Tehran to the Brussels Urban Summit.

“I have decided to resign,” Pascal Smet, a Flemish Socialist, announced Sunday.

The invitation of the Tehran mayor, Alireza Zakani as head of an Iranian delegation to the Brussels Urban Summit two weeks ago created a political uproar in Belgium, created an uproar in political cricles.

According to media reports, the accommodation costs for the delegation were paid by the Brussels region.

Smet, a Flemish socialist who was Secretary of State in charge of international relations, acknowledged that it was a mistake for the Brussels government to foot the bill for the Iranian delegation but he blamed the error on one of his assistants.

“With Belgian money, we’re paying for hotel nights for the Iranian mayor and a Russian representative — this is unacceptable,” Smet said, but added that he himself “did not make a mistake.”

He also told reporters that the decision to approve Zakani’s visa was made by Belgian Federal Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib. The latter is now under pressure top resign.

Alireza Zakani, mayor of Tehran, a member of IRGC

He was named mayor of Tehran in 2021, His participation in the Brussels Urban Summit 2023 garnered particular attention as he is the founder of the ‘’Society of Supporters of the Islamic Revolution’’ and a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a paramilitary body which the European Parliament called to be listed as a terrorist group by the EU as it was involved in the brutal repression of street protests against the Iranian regime since 2022.  Zakani was once the head of the Basij Student Organization, which was sanctioned by the European Union in May for human rights violations.

He was also a candidate for the post of president but he withdrew his candidacy in favor of Ebrahim Raisi, another hardline leader of the regime.