Purple cupcake row sees Iran summon Australian ambassador

Playful pictures of envoy were aimed at creating ‘supportive environment’ for same-sex people

Pictures posted by Australia’s embassy in Iran showed the ambassador holding purple flowers and wearing a puple bow tie (Australiainiran)

A picture of Australia’s ambassador to Iran posing with purple cupcakes to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community has led to a diplomatic spat between Tehran and Canberra.

Iran summoned Australia’s ambassador over the Instagram post shared on the annual "Wear It Purple Day" after it was deemed "norm-breaking”, Iran’s semi-official ILNA news agency reported on Tuesday.

Iran’s foreign ministry said the post was “disrespectful and contrary to Iranian and Islamic cultural norms”, according to state news agency IRNA.

A series of pictures of ambassador Ian McConville with his family, smiling and wearing a purple bow tie, were shared on the embassy’s official Instagram account on Monday.

It was to mark Wear It Purple Day, an annual celebration of LGBTQIA+ youth founded in Australia.

“Celebrating ‘Wear it Purple Day’ with a splash of purple in every corner, and some delicious cupcakes made with love,” the post said.

“Today, and every day, we’re dedicated to creating a supportive environment, where everyone, especially LGBTQIA+ youth, can feel proud to be themselves.”

Australian foreign minister Penny Wong responded with support to human rights at home and abroad (@australiainiran)

Homosexuality is illegal in Iran, governed by Islamic clerical authorities that impose strict interpretation of Islamic law. Same-sex activities are a punishable offence with punishments ranging from flogging to the death penalty.

Director of the regional department at the Iranian foreign ministry "strongly condemned the action of the Australian embassy in posting such content that was against the accepted norms", according to Iran’s Mehr news agency.

"The content published by the Australian embassy is insulting and contrary to Iranian and Islamic tradition, customs and culture," the diplomat said, adding that the move violated international law.

Mr McConville said the Australian embassy “had no intention of offending the Iranian people” and their values, according to IRNA.

He added that the Islamic Republic was not mentioned in the post.

Reacting to the row, Australian foreign minister Penny Wong said: "Australia is a proud advocate for human rights. At home and in the world, we work to advance these principles."

The bi-lingual post on Instagram remains live on the account and has received hundreds of supportive comments.

Mr McConville is a senior career diplomat who was appointed as the ambassador to Iran in April of this year. He had previously been posted in South Korea and Nigeria and at the United Nations.

The row comes after Iran’s ambassador to Australia was “called in” last month by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade over a post on X stating that “wiping out the Zionist plague out of the holy lands of Palestine happens no later than 2027”.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese denounced the remarks as hateful and anti-Semitic.