Before the Paris bombings took place, France and Iran got into a snit relating to wine.
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani doesn’t consume any alcohol, so when he was invited to dine with French president François Hollande during his historic visit to France (and Italy), wine came up in the discussion.
Rouhani, following the traditional Islamic custom, demanded that his state dinner in France be alcohol-free.
The French took this demand with appropriate outrage, arguing that a dinner without wine violates French tradition.
Would it be a faux pas and a diplomatic snub—for Hollande to eat in one room with his Champagne and Corton- Charlemagne and for Rouhani to eat in a nearby room with tea? And perhaps a walkie- talkie to chat with his host?
The controversy was resolved just days after the deadly attacks in France when Rouhani postponed his European visit.