Gunman attacks embassy in Iran

A gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire on a security post at the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran, the Foreign Ministry in Baku has reported. The embassy security chief was killed while two guards were injured in the incident on Friday morning.

The ministry described the condition of the survivors as “satisfactory” and pledged to provide additional information as the investigation into the “treacherous attack” progresses.

Images purporting to show the aftermath of the incident, circulating on social media, include a graphic photo of a body covered by a sheet lying on a bloodied floor. The same body without the cover was also filmed in a short video clip.

More footage shot in front of the embassy shows police cars and a man apparently being treated for an arm injury.

The gunman was arrested immediately after the incident, Tehran's chief of police, Sardar Hossein Rahimi, told Iranian media. He said the shooter had come to the embassy with his two young children and that police believed the attack was motivated by a personal grievance.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed “shock” following the news. “We offer our condolences and support to the Azerbaijani colleagues,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on social media.

She also praised an embassy guard who “fought like a lion” to seize the perpetrator’s firearm during the incident. Footage captured by a CCTV camera at the entrance of the building was published later in the day.