BRUSSELS

Belgium's ambassador to Iran has been summoned by authorities in Tehran following the participation of Defense Minister Theo Francken in a large Iranian opposition gathering in Germany, local media reported Thursday.

Flemish-language daily Het Laatste Nieuws confirmed by the Foreign Ministry that the Belgian envoy in Tehran was called in over Francken's appearance at the rally held on Saturday in Munich.

Francken, a member of the Flemish nationalist party New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), shared a photo from the event on Instagram, saying it was "an honor to speak before 250,000 Persian lions."

"You are wonderful, warm people. We will not back down. We will prevail. ‘Free Iran.’ Europe stands with you," he wrote.

The rally coincided with the annual Munich Security Conference, which brought together dozens of European and international leaders.

The gathering followed a call by Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last shah.

Participants in Munich chanted slogans including "regime change" and waved green, white and red flags bearing the lion and sun emblem, a symbol used in Iran prior to the 1979 revolution that ended the Pahlavi dynasty.

Belgian authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the summons. Iranian officials have also not publicly detailed the content of the diplomatic exchange.

The anti-government protests began on Dec. 28 in the capital Tehran, when shopkeepers, merchants, and small business owners staged strikes and demonstrations to protest soaring inflation, the collapsing rial, and deteriorating economic conditions.