September 3, 2021
New Foreign Minister Hossain Amir-Abdollahian attended his first foreign event since taking office and immediately caused a flap by intentionally violating diplomatic protocol.
Abdollahian sparked widespread criticism from professional diplomats and Reformists in Tehran after he stood August 30 in the front row, designated for heads of state and government, for the official photo taken at a gathering in Baghdad. The foreign ministers attending for their governments were supposed to stand in the second row, but Abdollahian stepped forward.
The former director general of the Middle East Department at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Qassem Mohebali, criticized the foreign minister for not respecting protocol.
The former diplomat wrote in the daily Jahan-e Sanat, saying Abdollahian prompted a “missed opportunity” by his protocol violation. Mohebali said it was a missed chance for Iran to stand by the Saudi foreign minister and improve relations.
Mohebali said respecting protocol at diplomatic events is very important, adding that honoring procedures shows familiarity with international affairs and respect for the host country. Abdollahian is a career diplomat and surely knows the protocol of heads of state and government and foreign ministers standing in different rows for photos.
Abdollahian said President Raisi had been invited by Iraq to attend the conference, but the Iranian government decided Abdol-lahian should attend in his sted because French President Emmanuel Macron was attending and, in fact, was a co-organizer of the gathering and the Islamic Republic objected to French involvement in the region.
In addition, Abdollahian was criticized for his “poorly” delivered Arabic language speech at the conference. It was filled with grammatical errors as well as poor pronunciation.
Abdollahian’s official biography claims he is an able speaker of both Arabic and English.
Former Deputy Majlis Speaker Ali Motahari welcomed the Arabic speech, but regretted that an Arabic language teacher had not reviewed it first.