The Iranian authorities have canceled a Tehran concert by the singer-songwriter Alireza Ghorbani earlier this month because of security concerns related to an unscheduled visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.
In a message posted on his Instagram page, Mr. Ghorbani said: “We found out a few minutes ago that the Tehran Province Security Council has unfortunately canceled the ‘Sing Along with Me’ concert scheduled for July 22, because of the proximity of the venue to the president’s residence next to the Sa’dabad Palace Complex, which raised some security concerns.”
“Some people have suggested that the music would have disrupted the meeting between Mr. Rouhani and the Iraqi prime minister. The two would have probably stopped their talks and attended the concert instead,” Ghorbani tweeted jokingly.
متأسفانه لحظاتی پیش خبردار شدیم شورای تأمین استان تهران به دلیل مجاورت محل کنسرت “با من بخوان” و مجموعه تشریفات ریاست جمهوری مستقر در کاخ سعدآباد تهران، به لحاظ رعایت مسائل امنیتی تشریفات ریاست جمهوری ، کنسرت امشب به تاریخ ۳۱ تیرماه را کنسل اعلام نموده است. pic.twitter.com/Z8jzEX7XYF
— Alireza Ghorbani (@arghorbani51) July 22, 2019
According to Ghorbani, ticket holders can get refunds.
President Hassan Rouhani received Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi at Sa’dabad Palace on July 22.
The construction on the Sa’dabad Palace Complex began towards the end of the Qajar era (1789-1925) in 1921 and continued during the Pahlavi dynasty (1925-1979). The complex houses a large art and heritage museum. Other parts of the palace are for official use by the government. These include the Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is located next to the complex. The Cultural Heritage, Handicraft, and Tourism Organization of Iran manages the palace complex.
[Translated from Persian by Fardine Hamidi]
