'Don't jump to conclusions' on embassy attack: Iran to Azerbaijan

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Feb 2023 23:57

FM spokesperson Kanaani's comments come in light of a response made by the President of the Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev that the Iranian government was behind the attack.

Guards standing at the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran, Iran in January 2023 (Reuters)

During his statement on Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Nasser Kanaani urged the Republic of Azerbaijan to refrain from issuing prejudgments and politically-influenced comments about the attack on its embassy that led to the death of one person on January 27.

Kanaani's comments come in light of a response made by the President of the Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev about the attack, who spoke to reporters after the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

Aliyev claimed that individuals hired by the Iranian government had a hand in the attack, adding that “normalization of relations with Iran depends on a transparent investigation that will bring the perpetrators (of the attack) to justice."

“Offering non-legal interpretations on the incident to the public media is not a constructive measure in the course of pursuing the case legally and judicially,” Kanaani replied in his statement, continuing that the case is already undergoing legal procedures.

“Naturally, all dimensions of this bitter incident are being investigated and studied accurately and expertly,” he said.

“As expressed in the diplomatic messages and contacts between the senior political and judicial officials of the two countries, the Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to provide the Azeri side with the results of investigations. We are confident that the Republic of Azerbaijan’s officials will receive the necessary answers to all ambiguities and questions in their mind in the atmosphere of cooperation and with the adoption of constructive approaches,” Kanaani concluded.

An assailant walked towards the embassy in Tehran and opened fire in January, according to Tehran police chief Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi, who added that he entered the embassy with two young children. "In the initial investigation, the attacker stated that his motivation was personal and family problems," Gen. Rahimi said, relaying that the man is Iranian and married to an Azerbaijani woman.

Moreover, Rahimi said that the man claims that his wife "has been held at the embassy for nine months."

According to the Tehran police chief, the assailant had been waiting outside the embassy, and when a member of the diplomatic mission was parking his car, the attacker drove and rammed his car into the back of the vehicle. The attacker then took his AK-47 rifle out of the car and started shooting, forcing his way into the mission.