Uzbekistan's demand met: Iranian embassy deletes controversial statement about Samarkand

26 October 2026, 11:23·73·Society

Following a firm diplomatic protest by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Embassy of Iran in Armenia completely removed a controversial post regarding the historical and cultural heritage of the city of Samarkand from its official social media page.

This incident followed one-sided and politicized reactions from Tehran's diplomatic missions to a video message recorded by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio from Registan Square during his visit to Samarkand.

How it all started: Rubio's video and the embassy statement

The chronological background of the diplomatic dispute traces back to the following events:

Marco Rubio's appearance at Registan: As part of his visit to Samarkand, the US Secretary of State visited the famous Registan Square and published a video message;
Iran Embassy's claim: Responding to this video, the Embassy of Iran in Armenia posted that "the place where you are standing is part of Persian civilization and architecture," putting forward controversial views;
Activity of several missions: In addition, it was observed that several other Iranian diplomatic missions abroad published materials biasedly and politically interpreting the history of Samarkand.

A firm response from Tashkent: Ambassador summoned to the MFA

The Government of Uzbekistan took decisive diplomatic measures against the distortion of national history and cultural heritage:

Protest note delivered: On October 23, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to Uzbekistan, Mohammad Ali Eskandari, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and a protest note reflecting official Tashkent's sharp objection was handed over;
Strict demands made: The Uzbek side demanded that Iranian diplomatic missions immediately delete all relevant published posts and prevent such actions from recurring in the future;
Deletion of the post: As a result of the negotiations and demands made, as of October 26, the Iranian Embassy in Yerevan completely removed the post regarding Samarkand from the network.

This diplomatic step by Tashkent once again proved that Uzbekistan maintains a firm position in protecting its historical and cultural heritage, national dignity, and sovereignty in the international arena.