The structure of IRMOF-3 was modified with pyridine-2-aldehyde and then the Schiff base moieties were used to anchor ruthenium complex to this metal–organic framework. The prepared catalyst was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and FTIR methods. The results show that the prepared catalyst acquires a high potential for selective oxidation of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds under mild conditions and easy workups.