Uzbekistan has summoned Iran’s ambassador to Tashkent, Mohammad Ali Eskandari, and issued a formal protest over social media posts by Iranian diplomatic missions that described Samarkand’s historic Registan Square as part of Persian cultural heritage.

The ambassador was summoned to Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry on October 23, 2026, where Iranian representatives were handed a diplomatic note expressing Tashkent’s strong objection, ministry spokesman Omonulla Fayziyev told Kun.uz.

According to the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, the protest was prompted by posts published on X by several Iranian diplomatic missions abroad. Tashkent said the publications presented Samarkand’s historical and cultural heritage in a one-sided manner for political purposes.

Uzbek officials stressed that the heritage of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and other historic cities forms an integral part of Uzbekistan’s rich cultural and historical development. They emphasized that Samarkand’s architectural and cultural identity reflects centuries of history, traditions of statehood and the cultural development of the Uzbek people.

Tashkent called on Iran to remove the disputed posts from the social media accounts of its diplomatic missions and take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future. The ministry also reaffirmed Uzbekistan’s commitment to maintaining relations with Iran based on mutual respect and trust, while rejecting what it described as a one-sided interpretation of the country’s cultural heritage.

The diplomatic row followed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Samarkand on October 19. During the visit, Rubio published a video message recorded in Registan Square, with the historic monuments in the background.

Rubio described Samarkand as a place that had played an important role in global trade throughout history, adding that he was honored to visit not only to reflect on the past but also to consider future opportunities.

The footage prompted sarcastic responses from several Iranian embassies, including those in Bulgaria, Armenia and the Netherlands. Their posts highlighted what they described as a contradiction between Rubio’s criticism of Persian civilization and his appearance at one of Central Asia’s most prominent historic sites.

Iran’s embassy in Bulgaria wrote that Rubio criticized Iranian civilization while posing in Samarkand against the backdrop of what it called Persian cultural heritage.

Iran’s embassy in Armenia similarly described the location as part of Persian civilization and architecture, referring to Rubio’s earlier remarks in Greece.

According to the BBC’s Uzbek service, Rubio spoke in Athens on October 7 with the Acropolis in the background and portrayed ancient Persia as an adversary of Greek civilization. He said the Persians had razed the Acropolis. The remarks drew criticism in Iran, where they were interpreted as an attempt to portray the Persian Empire as a historical enemy of the West.

Iran’s embassy in the Netherlands also criticized Rubio’s remarks, describing Registan Square as a masterpiece of Persian architectural heritage and urging the US secretary of state to study history more carefully.

Registan is one of Samarkand’s most recognizable historic landmarks. Its architectural ensemble was built during the Timurid and Ashtarkhanid periods, with craftsmen from Iran among those involved in its construction.

However, the Iranian diplomatic missions did not explain in detail why they classified the historic square as part of Persian heritage. Their posts triggered criticism among Uzbek-speaking social media users, while Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry said five publications by Iranian diplomatic missions concerning Registan had prompted its formal protest.

The dispute highlights differing interpretations of the region’s shared historical and cultural legacy. Although Persian cultural influences have played a role in Central Asia’s history, Uzbekistan has insisted that its historic monuments must not be presented in a way that disregards the country’s own historical development and cultural identity.

The diplomatic disagreement comes amid continuing tensions between Iran, the US and Israel. Although the conflict that began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran has since lost some of its earlier intensity, political and diplomatic friction between the parties continues.