Azerbaijan vacates embassy in Iran after attack

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Azerbaijan has evacuated staff from its embassy in Iran’s capital Tehran, two days after a gunman killed one person and wounded two others there.

According to the Azerbaijani media, a total of 53 people, including diplomats and their family members, flew to Baku by a special plane.

The plane also carried the body of Orkhan Askerov, the chief of the embassy security staff, who was killed in the attack.

The incident took place Friday morning when a man identified as Yasin Hosseinzadeh barged inside the embassy premises and opened fire.

Tehran’s police chief Hossein Rahimi told reporters the assailant was immediately arrested. He added that a preliminary investigation pointed to “personal and family-related problems” as a possible motive for the attack.

The evacuation took place hours after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev discussed the issue in a phone call. Raisi said during the conversation that a thorough investigation was underway.

A statement issued by his office quoted Raisi as saying that the governments of the two countries “will not allow bilateral relations to be affected by ill-wishers.”

Aliyev had earlier denounced the attack as a “terrorist act” and demanded a probe. The country’s Foreign Ministry also summoned the Iranian ambassador.

Speaking to reporters in Baku on Sunday, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov held Iran responsible for the attack and its consequences, according to Azerbaijani media.

The senior Azerbaijani diplomat added that President Aliyev had decided to vacate the embassy in the Iranian capital, terming it a “difficult decision”.

Meanwhile, Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency cited an “informed source” in the Foreign Ministry as saying that the operations of the Azerbaijani embassy shall continue, albeit with a smaller diplomatic staff.

The incident has increased tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan, which share a 765-kilometer border.