Iran governor slapped in rare security breach

The new governor of a northwestern Iranian province was slapped in the face by an angry man during his inauguration yesterday, an unusual breach of security in the Islamic Republic during a ceremony attended by the country’s interior minister.

A motive for the attack in Iran’s Eastern Azerbaijan province remained unclear. The new governor, Brig. Gen. Abedin Khorram, had taken the podium in the provincial capital of Tabriz when the man strode out from offstage and immediately swung at the official. Video aired by state television showed the crowd gasping in shock. It took several seconds before security forces dragged the man off.