Responding to a journalist’s question about the diplomatic dispute, Baghaei said relations between Iran and Uzbekistan had deep historical roots. He explained that some staff members at Iranian embassies had published the posts with the US in mind.
“We attach great importance to our relations with Uzbekistan. We are confident that our shared heritage, which exists across different regions of neighboring countries and a wider geographical area, will serve as a foundation for continuing and strengthening friendly relations between our peoples,” Baghaei said.
The controversy began after the Iranian Embassy in Armenia responded to a social media post by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about his visit to Samarkand, describing the Uzbek city as part of “Persian civilization and architecture.”
The remarks prompted a diplomatic response from Tashkent. Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador, Mohammad Ali Eskandari, and handed him a note of protest.
The ministry demanded that the relevant posts be removed from the social media accounts of Iranian diplomatic missions and called on Tehran to take measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
