Iran’s Foreign Minister’s weak command of English invites criticism and ridicule

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Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran's foreign minister, during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York, US, on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Amirabdollahian warned that new fronts would open against the US if it keeps up unequivocal support for Israel. Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

TEHRAN:Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian faced both backlash and ridicule for his speech at the UN Security Council debate on the Middle East and the Palestinian Question. His spoken English was riddled with mistakes and incomprehensible sentences.

Despite having a written script, he mispronounced many words and his remarks on Israel were unclear to the UN audience. Some analysts compared Amir-Abdollahian unfavorably with Iran’s previous Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who spoke English well and had built rapport with global leaders like John Kerry.

Despite having a written script, he mispronounced many words and his remarks on Israel were unclear to the UN audience. Some analysts compared Amir-Abdollahian unfavorably with Iran’s previous Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who spoke English well and had built rapport with global leaders like John Kerry.