Tashkent, 24 October. Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry summoned Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Ali Eskandari on 23 October and handed him a protest note over posts by Iranian diplomatic missions on X which, in Uzbekistan's view, interpret Samarkand's heritage "one-sidedly and for political purposes", and demanded that the posts be removed, the ministry said in a statement.
The posts were published by Iran's embassies in Armenia, China and Zimbabwe and by Iran's mission to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. They were responses to a video by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recorded on 19 October against the backdrop of the Registan in Samarkand, in which he spoke about the city's role in world trade. "The place where you stand is part of Persian civilisation and architecture," one of the Iranian missions wrote.
The dispute grew out of an earlier exchange: on 7 October Rubio, speaking at the Acropolis in Athens, recalled its destruction by the troops of the Persian king Xerxes, and Iran's Foreign Ministry accused him of distorting history.
In Tashkent, the ambassador was reminded that the heritage of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and other cities is an integral part of the history of the Uzbek people and that posts by diplomatic missions "must comply with the principles of mutual respect and trust and not lead to the politicisation of historical and cultural issues". "Uzbekistan values its relations with Iran… At the same time, our country maintains a principled position on one-sided interpretations of its historical and cultural heritage," the statement said. Iran's reaction is not reported in the source.
What it means: A historical dispute between Iran and the United States has drawn in Uzbekistan, and Tashkent has formally demanded that Tehran delete posts presenting Samarkand as part of Persian civilisation.
Who benefits: Uzbekistan, which defends its historical identity. For Iran, the posts were a chance to recall Persian influence in the region, but they cost it a diplomatic protest.
Background: Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia and was the capital of the Timurid state in the 14th–15th centuries; the Registan ensemble is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
