Iraqi Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Safia Taleb Al-Suhail speaks during a gathering at her official residence in Riyadh, attended by members of the Iraqi delegation participating in the Saudi Defense Exhibition 2026, Saudi officials and representatives of the Iraqi community.
Halbousi orders ambassador summoned after video from Saudi event sparks backlash
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s embassy in Saudi Arabia on Sunday issued a clarification over a widely circulated video from a diplomatic event in Riyadh, as Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi ordered the ambassador summoned and a formal investigation launched.
The video sparked debate across Iraqi media and social media, with some commentators describing the encounter as an ‘insult’ to the Iraqi delegation, saying Iraqi officials stood while the Saudi delegation remained seated. Others called for the ambassador’s removal.
In response, the embassy said the clip showing Ambassador Safia Taleb al-Suhail was taken out of context.
The embassy said the ambassador and the Iraqi delegation participating in the Saudi Defense Exhibition 2026 hosted a gathering at the ambassador’s official residence that included Saudi figures and members of the Iraqi community. It said the Iraqi side “was the inviting and hosting party.”
Seating arrangements were organized “according to the precedence observed in diplomatic norms, and in a manner consistent with the nature of the occasion, which had a social and introductory character, not a full formal protocol ceremony,” the statement said.
The embassy said the clip showed “a moment of temporary movement by the ambassador and the Iraqi delegation in preparation to move to another location within the official residence, including inviting guests to the dinner banquet.”
It said the scene was misinterpreted “in a way that does not reflect what actually occurred,” adding that the movement was done “without any negative protocol implications or breach of precedence.”
Later Sunday, Halbousi directed the parliamentary department to contact the Foreign Ministry to summon the ambassador within 48 hours and form an investigative committee.
“The Speaker of the Council of Representatives directed the parliamentary department in the council to address the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and summon the Iraqi ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia within 48 hours, and to form a committee to investigate the matter and inform the council of its findings,” the parliament’s media office said.