Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has denounced the display of a drone in the British Parliament allegedly linked to Tehran, calling it “a pathetic show” staged by the Israeli lobby and its backers.
The event titled "Human Rights in Iran After the Islamic Republic" was hosted by the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Organization, which said its goal was to foster a “respectful and neutral space” for discussion among diverse opposition voices.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi told the gathering that building an effective coalition for change in Iran required agreement on concrete principles rather than abstract ideals.
“Using broad terms like democracy and freedom as a basis for unity has not worked,” she said. “We must ask what kind of democracy we want, define what we mean by freedom of expression, and see where we truly agree.”
Iranians should not fear transition, Ebadi added, rejecting comparisons between a post–Islamic Republic future and the turmoil that followed the 1979 revolution.
“People should not be afraid of change.”
Respectful dialogue among opposition groups
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, told Iran International that the Oslo meeting for the first time invited representatives from a range of political parties and civic movements opposed to the Islamic Republic.
“The aim is not to form a new alliance or enforce political uniformity, but to enable respectful dialogue among all groups on the foundations of human rights,” he said. “Whatever form the next political system takes, all Iranians must enjoy equal rights.”
Recognizing diversity was essential to preventing the return of authoritarianism, Asso Hassanzadeh of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan said. “The key to avoiding future tyranny is political justice and acceptance of plurality.”
Abdullah Mohtadi of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan told the conference that any transition must follow today’s international standards.
“It should not turn into bloodshed or political revenge,” he said. “Transitional justice must be based on global norms.”
Fouad Pashaie, secretary-general of the Constitutionalist Party of Iran, said democracy starts today, warning that decades had already been lost.
“Every political group that cares about a united Iran must now cooperate, despite differences,” he said, stressing that opposition efforts should focus on how to end the Islamic Republic without allowing it to rebrand itself under a new guise.
The conference continues Sunday behind closed doors with addresses by party representatives and policy experts.
Iranian opposition figures have stepped up calls to rally against Tehran following a punishing 12-day war with Israel in June, but there have been no significant protests.
Iranian exiled prince Reza Pahlavi urged unity among Iran's opposition during a pro-monarchy conference in Munich in July, saying the Islamic Republic's downfall would lead to sustainable peace and prosperity in the Middle East.
Later that month, Maryam Rajavi, the leader of exiled opposition group the National Council of Resistance of Iran, vowed the armed ouster of its decades-old nemesis the Islamic Republic and the founding of a democratic, non-nuclear state in its place.
In a post written in Polish on X, Araghchi said, “The exhibition in the British Parliament of a drone falsely and maliciously attributed to Iran is a pathetic scene staged by the Israeli lobby and its sponsors.”
He added that “those hostile to friendly relations between Iran and Europe are creating fabricated narratives that do not reflect the historical ties -- including between Iran and Poland.”
Araghchi added that Tehran remained ready to engage in technical talks and exchange of documents to clarify the facts, dismissing what he called “an absurd performance.”
The remarks came days after Iran summoned Poland’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to protest Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski’s participation in an event in London that featured a Shahed-136 drone allegedly used by Russia in its war in Ukraine.
The display, organized by the US-based advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), was held at the Houses of Parliament and attended by Western and Ukrainian officials.
Tehran condemned the exhibition as a politically motivated act, accusing organizers of spreading “baseless and repetitive accusations” about Iran’s drone program.
Iran says it supplied drones to Russia before the war began, but denies providing weapons for use in Ukraine. Western governments and Kyiv say Iranian-designed Shahed drones, now produced in Russia under the name Geran, have played a key role in Moscow’s air strikes.
Araghchi’s statement also followed a sharp exchange between Tehran and London over British intelligence claims of Iranian-linked plots on UK soil. MI5 chief Ken McCallum said last week that more than 20 Iran-related operations had been disrupted over the past year, describing Tehran as one of the UK’s most active hostile state actors.
