Iranian Minister Leaves Condi Dinner, Citing Sexy Violinist

Iran’s foreign minister abruptly left a dinner with Condi Rice because he was afraid of a violinist’s cleavage.

Iranian Manouchehr Mottaki is Scared of Boobies Iran’s foreign minister walked out of a dinner of diplomats where he was seated directly across from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on the pretext that the female violinist entertaining the gathering was dressed too revealingly.

Condi Rice Iranian Dinner Photo “I don’t know which woman he was afraid of, the woman in the red dress or the secretary of state,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday, regarding the actions of Iran’s Manouchehr Mottaki.

Rice herself was questioned by reporters about the lack of a direct conversation with Mottaki, even though it appeared she was “chasing” him. “Uh, well, you could ask him why he didn’t make an effort,” she replied. Then she laughed. “Look, I’m not given to chasing anyone.”

You can’t make this stuff up. (And, no, photos of the violinist are not available.)

Alas, all was not lost.

So the face to face between Rice and Mottaki never happened, reports CBS News correspondent Charlie D’Agata. Instead, U.S. and Iranian delegations met at a lower, “expert” level, which while significant, is not a first. “Our officials did, as they did in Baghdad, have an opportunity to exchange views about the substance of this meeting,” Rice said.

So much of this Iraq summit has been about the U.S. and Iran, but with good reason, reports D’Agata. America blames Iran for violence in Iraq, Iran blames America, and the Iraqis have been urging both countries to put their differences aside and put Iraq first.

I’m unconvinced negotiations with a country whose foreign minister can’t handle looking at a woman in a formal wear will bear much fruit. Still, one has to try.

UPDATE: Photos of Ukrainian violinist Larissa Abramova during her performance last night:


Ukrainian violinist Larissa Abramova Photo Ukrainian violinist Larissa Abramova performs in the lobby of a hotel in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt Friday, May 4, 2007. Iran's foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki boycotted a dinner of diplomats Thursday night where he was to be seated directly across from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, ostensibly because a female violinist entertaining the gathering, Abramova, was dressed too revealingly. (AP Photo/Dimitri Messinis)

And here’s her revealing cleavage:

Ukrainian violinist Larissa Abramova Cleavage Photo Ukrainian violinist Larissa Abramova pauses during a performance in the lobby of a hotel in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt Friday, May 4, 2007. Iran's foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki boycotted a dinner of diplomats where he was to be seated directly across from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, ostensibly because a female violinist entertaining the gathering, Abramova, was dressed too revealingly. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Seriously?

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Steve Verdon says:

    What cleavage? Maybe it was the pants, with pants it is obvious she has legs, and where the legs meet, well there is a where men become weak. Or maybe it was the shoes and her painted toes and the Iranian Foreign Minister has a foot fetish. Whatever it was, the point that the Foreign Minister was afraid of the woman is probably fairly accurate.

    And on the bright side he didn’t try to stone the violinist to death.

  2. yetanotherjohn says:

    It looks like we have a super weapon. We get some cheer leaders, put them in bikinis, then we can go any where we need to in Iran to find out the exact status of their nuclear program. Any real hard cases of the revolutionary guard might require the girls to flash them, but it would be worth it to see them run in terror.

  3. Dave Schuler says:

    Darned hard to play a violin in a burqa. This was obviously a pretext.

  4. Triumph says:

    At least this broad is better looking than Wolfowitz’s old lady!

  5. carpeicthus says:

    I am glad to agree with yetanotherjohn on this issue. I will start interviewing the cheerleaders.