A soldier on Saturday attacked Brig Gen Abedin Khorram , a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander who was recently appointed as the governor of East Azerbaijan province of Iran, during his inauguration.
The person came on stage and slapped Khorram when he was addressing the ceremony held in Tabriz, the provincial capital.
Footage of the incident was broadcast on state television, which showed that it took several seconds for security forces to apprehend the assailant.
“The soldier attacked me because his wife was vaccinated by a male health worker,” the governor later told state television.
Khorram said he does not know the soldier, forgave him and will not file a complaint.
Khorram was among 48 Iranians held hostage in Syria in 2013. Iran claimed the hostages were “Shi’ite pilgrims,” while the United States said they were technical advisers to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
He was appointed governor of the northwestern province by President Ebrahim Raisi on October 17.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in Tabriz launched an investigation against the soldier, who is part of the Revolutionary Guards.
The IRGC in a statement supported Khorram, saying legal action would be taken against the military officer.
