Iran’s city mayor apologises over billboard blunder

TEHRAN: An Iranian mayor has apologised for a billboard which mistakenly featured Israeli soldiers although it was meant to mark the Iran-iraq war, the online conservative news agency Tasnim reported on Friday.

“The billboard was installed in Shiraz showing three male soldiers standing on a rocky outcrop” next to a quote from an epic Persian poem, Tasnim wrote.

But the shot was actually a photoshopped picture of Israel Defence Forces, according to Tasnim, with a female soldier from the original picture having been cropped out.

The banner was pulled down from the southwestern city on Wednesday night and the mayor issued an apology the next day.

“This mistake of putting up such a despicable banner during the sacred defence week is unforgivable,” Tasnim quoted mayor Heydar Eskandarpour as saying.

Iran commonly refers to the brutal eight-year war with Iraq as “the sacred defence.” In recent days, the country has been marking the start of THE Conlict WHICH BEGAN on Sept.22, 1980. Two million people died.

“In addition to apologising to Shiraz’s pious and noble people, I ask the authorities to investigate the roots of this suspicious act and promptly report to the people,” the mayor added.

Two public relation oficials At THE municipality were later ired on Thursday night, according to conservative news agency Fars.

Iranian social media was abuzz with heated reactions to the controversy.