Iran’s Zarif drops out of Davos as Trump confirms attendance

GENEVA — US President Donald Trump will be the star attraction at this year’s Davos forum, which will also focus on the fallout of climate change and a more inclusive model of capitalism, organizers announce today.

The annual gathering of global movers and shakers in the village of Davos in the Swiss Alps will draw a total of 53 heads of government and state for four days starting on January 21.

But Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who had been due to attend, cancels his visit amid a spike in global tensions following a US drone strike that killed Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani.

Trump will be accompanied by his daughter Ivanka and her husband and top presidential adviser Jared Kushner, as well as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

The situation in the Middle East will be a key focus for the summit.

Soleimani’s killing near Baghdad international airport on January 3 has sparked fears of conflict between Iran and the US.

Iran has also been shaken by demonstrations after admitting it “unintentionally” shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet a few hours after a retaliatory missile strike against US bases in Iraq.

“I think we have to understand the cancellation from the Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif against the backdrop of the uncertainty in the region and what is unfolding in Iran,” WEF president Borge Brende says.

— AFP