Iran condemns attack on Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran, proposes cooperation in probe

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - Iran's foreign minister spoke to his Azerbaijani counterpart on Friday, condemning an attack on the country's embassy in Tehran and proposing cooperation to investigate it, his office said.

In a phone call with Jeyhun Bayramov, Iran's top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian condoled the death of an embassy staff member and emphasized that the incident should not affect relations between the two countries.

Amir-Abdollahian, according to the statement, suggested close cooperation between the security institutions of the two countries "to clarify different aspects" of Friday's attack.

The incident took place at around 8.30 a.m. local time (0500GMT) on Friday, when a gunman wielding a Kalashnikov rifle barged inside the Azerbaijani Embassy premises and opened fire.

The head of the embassy's security services was killed in the attack, while two security guards at the entrance were injured.

Tehran's police chief Hossein Rahimi told reporters that the assailant was immediately arrested, adding that a preliminary investigation pointed to "personal and family-related problems" as a motive of the attack.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Twitter strongly condemned the "treacherous attack" on the country's embassy in Tehran and called for an investigation.

"We demand the soonest investigation into the terrorist act and punishment of the terrorists. The terrorist attack on the diplomatic mission is unacceptable," he said

Earlier in the day, a statement from the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said the armed assailant "destroyed the guard post with a Kalashnikov automatic weapon."

The ministry also summoned the Iranian ambassador in Baku to register its protest.

Mohammad Shahriari, a criminal prosecutor in Tehran, was quoted as saying by the judiciary-affiliated Mizan News that the armed assailant claimed his wife went to the Azerbaijani Embassy in April last year and did not return.

After repeated visits to the embassy to seek her whereabouts, the assailant on Friday decided to go to the embassy with an automatic rifle, as per his claim.

Mohammad Jamshidi, the deputy chief of staff in the Iranian president's office, said in a statement that President Ebrahim Raisi "ordered a full investigation" into the incident.

Vahid Jalalzadeh, the chairman of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, was also quoted as saying by the state-run news agency that the incident must be investigated "until the result is obtained."

"Diplomats of Azerbaijan are our guests in the Islamic Republic, and as per international treaties, we are responsible for their security, so this action is regrettable," he was quoted as saying.

The Friday prayer leader in northern Tabriz province, bordering Azerbaijan, was cited as saying that "enemies should not be allowed to disrupt the friendly ties" between the two countries.

Meanwhile, according to unconfirmed reports, Azerbaijan is mulling suspending the operations of its embassy in Tehran and evacuating staff following the attack.