Belgian foreign minister in turmoil over Iran, Russian delegates invitations

FILE PHOTO: Belgium's Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib attends a European Union foreign ministers meeting, in Brussels, Belgium February 20, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian foreign affairs minister Hadja Lahbib is facing calls for resignation after granting visas to delegations from Iranian and Russian cities to attend a mayors convention in Brussels last week.

Lahbib is under scrutiny for having approved visas requests for citizens from two countries under international sanctions and only three weeks after Belgian NGO worker Olivier Vandecasteele was released from an Iranian jail.