The Munich Security Conference (MSC), a globally recognised event, has once again excluded the Iranian government for the third successive year. Instead, the conference will see the participation of Masih Alinejad, an outspoken advocate for women’s rights in Iran based in the United States, as a panelist in two separate discussions.

Reza Pahlavi, the erstwhile crown prince of Iran and a leading figure of the opposition, was originally invited to the conference. However, his invitation was subsequently withdrawn not once, but twice. Pahlavi, who attended the conference in 2023 amid mass protests in Iran, has accused the German government of meddling in the conference’s decision to withdraw his invitation. He expressed his viewpoint by stating, “The ayatollah (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) is pulling the strings in Berlin.”

A representative for the MSC explained that the conference’s chairman, Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, had previously extended an informal invitation to Pahlavi for the 2025 MSC. However, after discussions with the German government, Heusgen chose not to formalise the invitation to Pahlavi.

Meanwhile, outside the official conference venue in Munich, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) (also known as MEK), an opposition group in exile that is labelled a terrorist organisation by Tehran, is planning a protest. Despite their mutual opposition, Pahlavi, Alinejad, and the NCRI concur on one matter: they want Western nations to adopt a firmer approach towards Iran. This includes halting negotiations with Tehran and bolstering support for Iranian opposition groups.

Despite the Iranian government’s absence, discussions about Iran are likely to feature in the conference’s various panels. Topics may range from the country’s contentious nuclear program, its relationships with proxy entities, or the regime’s continual disregard for human rights.