On October 23, Iran’s ambassador to Uzbekistan, Mohammad Ali Eskandari, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was handed a note of protest.

Axar.az reports, citing Uzbek media, that the move followed posts published by the Iranian embassies in Armenia and Zimbabwe on X. The diplomatic missions shared images of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio against the backdrop of Registan Square in Samarkand, claiming that the architectural arches of historical monuments were characteristic of “Iranian-Islamic civilization.”

Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry described the statements as a one-sided and politicised interpretation of Samarkand’s historical and cultural heritage.

The ministry stressed that the heritage of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and other historic cities had developed over many centuries, reflecting the history, traditions of statehood and cultural development of the Uzbek people.

Uzbekistan demanded that the Iranian side remove the disputed posts and ensure that similar incidents do not happen again.