Share

Azerbaijan evacuates Tehran embassy, blames Iran for deadly attack

accreditation
0:00
play article
Subscribers can listen to this article
The Azerbaijan embassy in Tehran on 27 January 2023, following an attack.
The Azerbaijan embassy in Tehran on 27 January 2023, following an attack.
AFP
  • Azerbaijani embassy staff are being evacuated in Iran. 
  • This comes after an attack at the embassy on security personnel.
  • A man armed with a Kalashnikov killed the head of the diplomatic mission's guard.  


Azerbaijan on Friday said it was evacuating staff from its embassy in Tehran, blaming Iran for a "terrorist" attack in which the head of security was killed and two guards wounded.

Tehran's police chief said the man who carried out the attack was motivated by "personal" reasons.

"All responsibility for the attack lies with Iran," Azerbaijani foreign ministry spokesman Ayxan Hacizada told local media.

He said a recent anti-Azerbaijani campaign in Iranian media had "encouraged the attack."

Hacizada later told Turkish TRT Haber TV station that the embassy staff "are being evacuated from Iran."

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Twitter:

I strongly condemn the terrorist attack.

In a statement earlier on Friday Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said "a man armed with a Kalashnikov killed the head of the diplomatic mission's guard."

It said that two guards injured by the attacker were in a "satisfactory" condition and an investigation had been launched.

The attacker has been arrested and is an Iranian man married to an Azerbaijani woman, Tehran's police chief General Hossein Rahimi said.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanani, said Tehran strongly condemned "the armed attack... which unfortunately resulted in the death of one person".

He added:

According to the preliminary investigation, these are personal motives.

Iran is home to millions of Turkic-speaking, ethnic Azerbaijanis and it has long accused Baku of fomenting separatist sentiments in its territory.

Relations between the two countries have traditionally been sour, with the former Soviet republic a close ally of Iran's historical rival Turkey.

Tehran also fears that Azerbaijani territory could be used for a possible offensive against Iran by Israel, a major supplier of arms to Baku.



We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
68% - 2553 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
32% - 1208 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.39
+0.6%
Rand - Pound
23.14
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
19.83
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.19
+0.4%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+1.1%
Platinum
969.10
+0.3%
Palladium
982.50
+3.4%
Gold
0.00
0.0%
Silver
0.00
0.0%
Brent-ruolie
82.96
-0.9%
Top 40
70,864
+0.8%
All Share
76,987
+0.7%
Resource 10
61,435
+2.0%
Industrial 25
107,440
+0.2%
Financial 15
16,664
+0.7%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE