Personal motives, not terrorism, behind Azeri embassy attack

"As of the beginning of the incident and the spread of news about it, President Ebrahim Raeisi issued strict orders for legal and judiciary surveys and severe dealing with anyone who has possibly neglected their duties, or need to be introduced to the judiciary system, including the attacker himself."

He expressed satisfaction that the attacker had right after committing the crime been arrested by the Iranian police officers and interrogations from him continued till noon time on Friday.

"Today I spoke with my counterpart Mr. Jeyhun Bayramov in detail and we agreed that Mr. ambassador would return to Tehran tonight. Also, the team of my colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the managing directors of Eurasia Affairs, the Ceremonial Affairs, and everyone at the Foreign Ministry spent their efforts so that the two sides will pass through this phase without providing any pretexts for the enemies of the two countries' amicable relations," he added.

He said that the Iranian intelligence services consulted each other on Friday evening and reflected the latest status and information about the attacker and his incentives to Baku officials.

The foreign minister further reiterated, "According to our colleagues' findings so far in both the security and the judiciary sections, the attacker merely has personal incentives about the status of his wife."

Amir-Abdollahian said that whether his wife is in Azerbaijan Republic and he has not been able to contact her, or he had other incentives, are all under survey, adding, "But the method of the operation, according to the security and police forces, reveals that this has not been a premeditated terrorist attack, but a move made based on personal incentives, similar events with which had in past years happened for Iranian diplomats in Iraq, London and Beijing."

Earlier, Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi ordered a thorough investigation into an attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran, where the head of the security service of the embassy was killed and two guards were injured.

“We condemn the attack at the entrance of the embassy of our brotherly neighbor, the Republic of Azerbaijan,” Mohammad Jamshidi, a political aide to the Iranian president, said in a post on his Twitter account on Friday.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev called the assault on the embassy a “terrorist act” and demanded a swift investigation.

In a statement, Aliyev said, “We demand that this terrorist act be investigated and the terrorist be punished.” He said an attack against a diplomatic mission was “unacceptable.”

Azerbaijan also evacuated staff from its embassy in Tehran, blaming Iran for the attack.

“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.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani strongly condemned the attack, expressing condolences to the victim’s family and to the Azerbaijani government and people. “Upon the order of political and security officials, the issue is being pursued with top priority and sensitivity so that aspects of the incident and the motivation of the attacker become clear.”