Belgium's Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, gave his approval for the issuance of visas to the Iranian delegation attending the Brussels Urban Summit, leading to a wave of controversy.

The presence of the Iranian delegation, particularly Tehran's mayor, Alireza Zakani, drew widespread criticism and resulted in the resignation of Brussels secretary of state, Pascal Smet.

Smet faced allegations that his cabinet had exerted pressure on Belgium's federal Foreign Affairs ministry to grant visas to the 14-member Iranian delegation, despite initial unfavorable advice. Adding to the controversy, it was revealed on Friday that two Russian officials were also invited to the summit, in violation of current EU policy calling for their exclusion. Smet stepped down when it came to light that the Brussels region had covered the accommodation expenses for the Iranian and Russian officials.

Attention has now shifted to Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, whose ministry was responsible for issuing the visas to the Iranian delegation. Political parties such as Ecolo, N-VA, and Vlaams Belang have raised questions about her role in the diplomatic fiasco.

In a recent development, it was disclosed that Prime Minister De Croo's office was also consulted regarding the decision to grant visas to the Iranians. After official invitations had been extended to the Iranian delegation, De Croo's office concluded that denying the visas would risk a significant diplomatic incident and potentially humiliate Iran. The office stated that Belgium's decision was influenced by its ongoing commitment to the release of unjustly imprisoned Europeans in Iran.

Belgium recently achieved the release of four European prisoners in Iran through a prisoner exchange involving convicted terrorist Asadollah Assadi. The country continues to advocate for the freedom of Iranian-Swedish doctor Ahmad Reza Djalali or, at the very least, an improvement in his prison conditions.

Lahbib is scheduled to face questions on Wednesday before the parliamentary Foreign Affairs committee regarding the summit controversy. Prime Minister De Croo maintains that Lahbib's position has not been compromised, attributing the responsibility to Brussels for extending the invitation against negative advice and assuming the costs involved. In an interview with VTM Nieuws on Monday, he stated, "We have to hold the responsible party accountable." Photo by Werktuigendagen Oudenaarde, Wikimedia commons.