Security guard killed in attack on Azeri embassy in Iran

An attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran has left one person dead and two others wounded.

The Azeri government said a security official died when a gunman opened fire at embassy grounds.

Local police have reported the arrest of a suspect and an investigation into the incident.

Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev branded the attack against the diplomatic mission a “terrorist act” and “unacceptable” on Twitter.

Mr Aliyev also demanded a swift investigation and for the perpetrator to be punished.

The Azeri foreign ministry said “the attacker broke through the guard post, killing the head of security with a Kalashnikov assault rifle”.

Jeyhun Bayramov, the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, condemned “the treacherous terrorist attack” and offered the government’s condolences to the family and relatives of the deceased officer.

They ministry also confirmed that the two other wounded guards were in a “satisfactory” condition and that it would evacuate embassy staff from the Iranian capital back to Azerbaijan.

According to Tehran’s police chief, General Hossein Rahimi, Friday’s attack may have been motivated by “personal issues”.

Speaking to Iranian Tasnim news agency, the police chief reported that the suspect is an Iranian man married to an Azerbaijani woman.

“He claims his wife has been held at the embassy for nine months,” Rahimi said.

In a strongly worded Azeri government statement the foreign ministry highlighted previous threats to diplomatic staff in Iran and attempts to raise the issue with Iranian authorities.

The foreign ministry accused Tehran of “not showing proper sensitivity” to appeals while blaming a “recent anti-Azerbaijani campaign” for encouraging attacks against the Azeri diplomatic mission.

Nasser Kanani, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, said Tehran strongly condemned “the armed attack… which unfortunately resulted in the death of one person”.