Watch Iranian Governor Getting Slapped on Stage During His Inauguration

The motive for the attack is unknown but some media reports say it was a personal dispute.

The governor of Iran's northwestern province of Eastern Azerbaijan, Brig. Gen. Abedin Khorram, was slapped in the face during his own inauguration ceremony in Tabriz on Saturday.

As soon as Khorram took the podium to deliver a speech, a man appeared from behind him and slapped the governor. Seconds later, security guards dragged him away.

A video of the incident was shared online.

Abedin Khorram, the new governor of Eastern Azerbaijan province, was slapped in the face by an angry man during his inauguration Ceremony today in Tabriz pic.twitter.com/jLzyF9BwFK

— Hami Hamedi (@HamediHami) October 23, 2021

Later, Khorram returned to the stage and commented on the incident:

"I do not know him of course but you should know that, although I did not want to say it, when I was in Syria I would get whipped by the enemy 10 times a day and would be beaten up...More than 10 times, they would hold a loaded gun to my head. I consider him on a par with those enemies but forgive him,” the governor said, as quoted by AP.

According to the state-owned IRNA news agency, the attacker is a member of the Guard's Ashoura Corps, which Khorram had overseen. The agency said that the attack happened due to “personal reasons” but did not provide any details.