When the Iraqi journalist Muntazar al-Zaidi hurled his shoes at then-US president George Bush in December, Iranian officials declared him a hero and hailed his gesture as a mark of Islamic courage.
They were presumably less impressed this week when Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was similarly targeted during a visit to the north-western city of Urumiye.
Ahmadinejad found the shoe on the other foot as he waved from an open-top car on his way to give a speech at a stadium.
An Iranian website, Urumiye News, reported that a shoe was hurled at the president as his convoy drove through a central square. Security guards waded into the crowd but failed to find the culprit. A hat was also thrown in Ahmadinejad's direction before his car sped away.
The event went unreported on mainstream Iranian news outlets but has been hotly discussed on the country's highly active blogosphere. Some pro-Ahmadinejad bloggers have dismissed the reports as rumours spread by “royalists” and “counter-revolutionaries”.
Reports said a disturbance broke out when an elderly man tried to hand Ahmadinejad a letter. People became angry when the driver failed to stop.
{{/usCountry}}Reports said a disturbance broke out when an elderly man tried to hand Ahmadinejad a letter. People became angry when the driver failed to stop.
{{/usCountry}}Guardian News Service