International Community Condemns Terrorist Attack on Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran

The bloody terrorist attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Iran’s capital Tehran has drawn condemnation from governments and organizations across the world.

The fatal attack was committed by an Iranian national, Yasin Hosseinzadeh, on Friday morning. The gunman, armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, broke into the embassy’s building, killed a security officer, and managed to wound two others until he was stopped by a security staff member after a violent scuffle.

The killed security officer was identified to be Orkhan Asgarov, the Chief Security Officer at the embassy. Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iran Ali Alizade confirmed Asgarov’s death and the injury of two other employees shortly after the terror act.

“We strongly condemn this cruel act of terrorism and demand full punishment of the perpetrators,” he wrote on Twitter.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and government officials have strongly condemned the terrorist act and demanded the Iranian government to investigate and bring the culprit to justice.

Iran’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Seyyed Abbas Mousavi was summoned to Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry where the Iranian authorities were strongly demanded to launch a thorough investigation of the armed attack, bring the perpetrator to justice, identify and punish other participants involved in the organization and commission of the crime.

In the meantime, the first international reaction to the deadly attack came from Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

“I condemn the treacherous attack on the Tehran Embassy of Azerbaijan. I wish God’s mercy on our martyred brother, my condolences to his relatives and the people of Azerbaijan, and a speedy recovery to the injured. Azerbaijan is never alone,” he wrote on Twitter.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also strongly denounced the bloody terror act and pledged Turkish unity with Azerbaijan.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Russia “was shocked by yet another attack on the Azerbaijani embassy,” and also offered condolences and support to her colleagues in Azerbaijan.

The condemnations also came from the foreign ministries of Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, the Netherlands, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Poland, Slovakia, Egypt, and other countries, as well as the United Nations (UN), the Organization of Turkic States, and the Association of Friends of Azerbaijan in France.

“I strongly condemn the attack at Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Iran,” wrote Vladanka Andreeva, the UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan. “Attacks against civilians and civilian objects, including diplomatic missions, are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law.”

Fergus Auld, the UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan, said he was “shocked by the news of the armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran and the killing of an embassy employee.” Simon Schercliff, the UK Ambassador to Iran conveyed condolences on behalf of the UK embassy in Iran to the staff of the Azerbaijan embassy and to the family of those killed and directly affected.

Embassies of Mexico, France, Italy, Poland, Argentina, Croatia, Lithuania, and other states in Baku also condemned the terrorist act.