Anger and unease have overwhelmed Iranian politics and diplomacy, due to the photo of the Russian and British ambassadors together in Tehran. The photo, according to Iranians, brought back the memory of the British-Soviet invasion of their country.

Iran has witnessed a torrent of criticism against the backdrop of a photo that some saw as a reproduction of the historical photo that brought together British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Franklin Roosevelt, and former President of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin in 1943 during World War II, as the new photo was taken in the same place where the aforementioned British, American and Russian leaders met. 

On the implications of this incident, Al Mayadeen Analyst for Iranian Affairs, AbdulJalil al-Zubaidi, said that Iranians believe that this entire incident is the making of the UK, due to the fact that the British Ambassador reached Tehran last Sunday, and on Monday, he paid a planned visit to the Russian Embassy, thus igniting the problem. It is true that this photo constitutes the 'clever mistake that is worth one thousand mistakes' for Russia, but the latter should have been savvier and wiser and should have paid attention to the actions of the British Ambassador.

عبد الجليل الزبيدي في #التحليلية: الرد الإيراني على صورة السفيرين كان صارماً رافضاً لأي مس بالهوية!

لمشاهدة النشرة كاملة👇https://t.co/9JVemKAgsg pic.twitter.com/MIpweElRP8

— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) August 12, 2021

Al-Zubaidi pointed out that since the return of the Iranian-British relations 30 years ago and up to this very day, no British ambassador has maintained his position for more than a few months. British ambassadors create problems on a regular basis, which results in their expulsion or summoning. Even the current ambassador has already caused a problem that led to Tehran’s fury and rage. So, the British bear part of the responsibility.”

He also stressed that the Russian-Iranian relations are seen as too deep to be affected by this photo, and the proof is that the visit of the Russian Ambassador to the Iranian Foreign Ministry was not based on summoning, but rather on an invitation to go to the Embassy, and here the diplomatic expression used herein is very well-articulated and makes a big difference.

The historical similitude has enraged the Iranian officials, who dubbed the photo as an “offense” and an unfriendly act toward Tehran, demanding Moscow and London to apologize for the Russian Embassy's publication of this photo.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Baqer Qalibaf described the photo as “an act far from diplomatic etiquette and inappropriate for the ambassadors of Russia and Britain.”

For his part, the Iranian Foreign Minister in the former government Mohamad Javad Zarif expressed his outrage on his Twitter account: “I saw an extremely inappropriate photo today. Need I remind all that Aug. 2021 is neither Aug. 1941 nor Dec. 1943," in reference to the invasion of Iran and the Allied Conference in Tehran.

I saw an extremely inappropriate picture today.

Need I remind all that Aug. 2021 is neither Aug. 1941 nor Dec. 1943.

The Iranian people have shown—including during the JCPOA talks—that their destiny can NEVER be subject to decisions in foreign embassies or by foreign powers. pic.twitter.com/0syILRec5q

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) August 11, 2021

On its part, the Russian Embassy posted two tweets to clarify its position on the photo. The first tweet 1/2 stated “Taking into account the ambiguous reaction to our photo, we would like to note that it does not have any anti-Iranian context.  We were not going to offend the feelings of the friendly Iranian people.”

1/2 Taking into account the ambiguous reaction to our photo, we would like to note that it does not have any anti-Iranian context . We were not going to offend the feelings of the friendly Iranian people.

— Russian Embassy, IRI (@RusEmbIran) August 12, 2021

🇷🇺Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan's meeting with the new head of the 🇬🇧British diplomatic mission in Iran Simon Shercliff on the historical stair, where the 1943 Tehran conference was held pic.twitter.com/1JyC9VWVpi

— Russian Embassy, IRI (@RusEmbIran) August 11, 2021

The second tweet stated, “The only meaning that this photo has to pay tribute to the joint efforts of the allied states against Nazism during the Second World War. Iran is our friend and neighbor, and we will continue to strengthen relations based on mutual respect.”

2/2 The only meaning that this photo has to pay tribute to the joint efforts of the allied states against Nazism during the Second World War. Iran is our friend and neighbor, and we will continue to strengthen relations based on mutual respect

— Russian Embassy, IRI (@RusEmbIran) August 12, 2021