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Bullet holes in the door of the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran
Photo: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH / EPA
A gunman armed with a Kalashnikov stormed the Azerbaijani embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran at noon.
According to Iranian sources, the embassy's security chief was killed in the attack and two guards were injured.
According to the police chief of Tehran, the crime is said to be about "personal and family problems".
The attacker was arrested.
Videos circulating online show a wounded man in front of the embassy building and a man killed inside.
Bullet holes and traces of blood can be seen in the building.
Contradictory information about the course of events
There is conflicting information about the attacker's actions.
The Iranian news agency Tasnim, citing security circles, reported that the attacker first entered the embassy building with two small children.
However, surveillance camera videos released by Azerbaijan did not show any children during the attack.
The act is likely to further aggravate the situation between the neighboring countries of Azerbaijan and Iran, which has been tense for months.
"We demand that this terrorist attack be investigated and the terrorist punished," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in a first statement.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry speaks of a "treasonous attack".
Azerbaijan borders northwestern Iran.
The country is in a permanent armed conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Iran is on the side of Armenia in the conflict and is thus positioning itself against the government in Baku.
At the same time, Azerbaijan maintains close ties with Israel – the state that Iran has repeatedly threatened with annihilation.
It was only in October that the Iranian army provoked its smaller neighbor with an extensive military exercise on the border with Azerbaijan.
mrc/AP/Reuters