Australias ambassador to Iran was called into the Islamic Republics foreign ministry in Tehran this week after sharing a post celebrating Wear It Purple Day on his embassys official Instagram account. Wear It Purple Day is an annual LGBTQ+ awareness day in Australia that celebrates young queer people.Lets keep championing diversity and inclusion for a brighter, more inclusive future. , the countrys account @australiainiran posted on Sunday in both English and Farsi. The text accompanied a photo of Ambassador Ian McConville posing in Tehran on the embassy rooftop alongside two staff members. They all wore purple clothing and accessories. Related Benjamin Netanyahu claims Iran paid gay people to protest against Israel In his speech to a joint session of Congress yesterday, the Prime Minister of Israel compared queers for Palestine to Chickens for KFC. Irans semi-official ILNA news agency reported on Tuesday that the post was deemed norm-breaking by the Islamic government, according to Reuters. Iranian state media on Monday said it promoted homosexuality.The countrys Mehr news agency, another semi-official government outlet, quoted the director of the Regional Department at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as having strongly condemned the action of the Australian embassy in posting such content that was against the accepted norms. Global perspectives delivered right to your inbox Our newsletter bridges borders to bring you LGBTQ+ news from around the world. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The content published by the Australian embassy is insulting and contrary to Iranian and Islamic tradition, customs and culture, the Iranian diplomat said, while suggesting that its distribution was a violation of international law.Homosexual activity is illegal in the Islamic Republic and is punishable by death in some cases. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Australia in Iran (@australiainiran)McConville, who was appointed ambassador in April, took issue with the Iranian governments characterization of the post, according to ILNA. He said the inclusive message wasnt intended to insult the Iranian people or their values. The Islamic Republic, McConville pointed out, wasnt mentioned in the post.In 2022, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei infamously described homosexuality as a symptom of the moral depravity plaguing Western nations.By contrast, the embassys post championed Western values of tolerance and inclusivity.Today, and every day, the post read, were dedicated to creating a supportive environment, where everyone, especially LGBTQIA+ youth, can feel proud to be themselves.The post remains live on the Australian embassys Instagram account.McConvilles call to the carpet follows an incident in August when Irans ambassador to Australia was called into that countrys Department of Foreign Affairs over a post on X advocating for the violent removal of Israelis from the holy lands of Palestine.Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the remarks abhorrent, hateful and antisemitic, saying it was entirely inappropriate for the Iranian ambassador, Ahmad Sadeghi, to engage in that way.Albaneses disapproval may turn out to be the first in an extended game of diplomatic tit-for-tat between the nations.