Iraq
Image taken from footage purports to show staff at the Iraqi embassy in Riyadh standing while speaking to a Saudi delegation seated nearby.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi parliament has called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon Iraq’s ambassador to Riyadh within 48 hours following the circulation of video footage that allegedly shows disrespect toward Iraq’s diplomatic representation.
The decision was made on Sunday after a video began circulating widely on social media. The footage appears to show Iraq’s Ambassador to Riyadh, Safia al-Suhail, along with members of the Iraqi embassy staff, standing while several Saudi officials remained seated during a meeting.
“The parliament’s decision relates to an incident in which it is alleged that disrespect was shown to the Iraqi diplomatic delegation,” Sherwan Dubardani, a Kurdish lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw.
Parliament has also urged the Foreign Ministry to establish a committee to investigate the matter and report its findings.
“Once the results of the investigation are completed, Iraq will issue its recommendations accordingly,” Dubardani said.
Prior to parliament’s decision, the Iraqi embassy in Riyadh released a statement asserting that the video had been taken out of context.
According to the embassy, the ambassador and the Iraqi delegation hosted a social event at the embassy residence during the Saudi Defence Exhibition 2026.
The event was attended by Saudi dignitaries and members of the Iraqi community. The statement clarified that Iraq was the host and that all arrangements were conducted in accordance with diplomatic protocol and seating precedence.
The embassy further explained that the circulated footage captured the ambassador and delegation moving around the venue to invite guests to dinner in keeping with social customs, emphasizing that no breach of diplomatic protocol had occurred.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment