Iranian governor slapped in the face during public speech
(CNN)An event introducing a newly appointed Iranian governor was dramatically interrupted Saturday after a man walked on stage and slapped him in the face.
Zeinolabedin Khorram, the new governor of East Azerbaijan province, was on stage delivering a speech at the Imam Khomeini Mosque in the northeastern city of Tabriz when the incident took place.
A video posted online by Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency shows a man calmly walking up to Khorram, slapping him in the face and then shoving him. Security guards can then be seen running toward the offender and pulling him off stage.
It was a rare breach of security in Iran — the event was attended by the country’s Interior Minister, representatives of Ayatollah Khamenei’s office and other state officials.
The semi-official news agency Tasnim identified the offender as Ayoub Alizadeh, a member of the country’s armed forces.
In an interview with state-run television IRIB, the provincial governor said he did not know the offender personally.
The motive for the attack is unclear. According to Khorram, the offender told the police after he was arrested that he slapped him because he was upset that a man had vaccinated his wife at a Covid-19 vaccine clinic, rather than a woman, IRIB said in its report.
Another report said the attack was not political. When asked about the incident in parliament on Saturday, Ali Alizadeh, a representative from Maragheh, a city in East Azerbaijan province, said “certainly, this person’s motive was personal and it had nothing to do with the appointment of the governor or even his words.”
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A former IRGC provincial commander who was recently appointed as governor was slapped by another military officer during his inauguration ceremony on Saturday.
Abedin Khorram who earlier this week was appointed as Governor of East Azerbaijan Province was slapped by “a member of the armed forces” in the presence of Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, according to Fars news agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard.
Fars, without naming the individual, said that he had a personal issue with Khorram, who offered another explanation to the state television.
The new governor said that the person who slapped him was angry because “a man [not a woman] had administered his wife’s Covid-19 vaccine”. According to Islamic rules, opposite sexes who are not immediate family members should not touch one another.
Khorram was asked how the person was able to enter the inauguration venue. He replied that obviously there was lapse of security and officials will investigate that.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi (Raeesi) has appointed many IRGC officers in top positions, which has led to criticism by many. Khorram was commander of Revolutionary Guards in the same province until he was appointed governor.