TASS: Azerbaijani embassy attack in Tehran can't be justified

First Deputy Director General of Russia’s TASS news agency Mikhail Gusman has said that the atrocity against the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran can neither be explained nor justified.

“Whoever says that this is the crime of a lone terrorist, I think that this incident should be thoroughly investigated by the Iranian authorities,” Gusman told Report.

“Iran should investigate the reasons, whether someone was behind the terrorist, whether he had accomplices who armed him. I do not think that the Kalashnikov assault rifle is sold in Tehran’s stores. All this raises big questions. If we imagine ongoing anti-Azerbaijani hysteria in the Iranian media for a long time, then all this, of course, is very sad,” the first deputy director general said.

He noted that terrorism has no nationality and requires a tough response and punishment.

“Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has correctly said that terrorism is intolerable in the modern world. In this case, Azerbaijan correctly weighs the situation and I think that it will require appropriate explanation and decisions from Iran. I would like to stress that as a result of this crime, true hero - head of the security service of the embassy Orkhan Asgarov, who prevented an even bigger tragedy, died. I express condolences to Asgarov’s family,” he said.

An armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran was committed on January 27 morning.

The attacker broke through to the security post of the diplomatic mission and killed the head of the security service by using a Kalashnikov rifle.

Two embassy security guards were also injured while repelling the attack. Their health condition is satisfactory.

The criminal was detained by employees of the Azerbaijani embassy.