2023 attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran
The embassy of Azerbaijan in Tehran was attacked on 27 January 2023, at around 08:00 a.m. local time. The perpetrator passed by the guard post with a Kalashnikov rifle and opened fire inside the embassy, while its staff tried to neutralize him. The head of the embassy's security service, Orkhan Asgarov, was killed in the attack, while two guards were injured.
| Attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran | |
|---|---|
| Location | Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iran, 16 Rastovan Street, Pasdaran, Tehran |
| Coordinates | 35°46′02″N 51°27′15″E |
| Date | 27 January 2023 08:00 (IRST, UTC+3:30) |
| Target | Embassy staff |
Attack type | Shooting |
| Weapons | Kalashnikov rifle |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Injured | 2 |
Shortly after, a suspect was detained by Iranian police. The State Security Service of Azerbaijan opened a criminal investigation of the attack. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev strongly condemned the attack. The Azerbaijani side regarded the incident as a "terrorist act". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan announced evacuation of the embassy personnel in Tehran. On 29 January Azerbaijan evacuated most of the embassy staff from Tehran and suspended the embassy's operation.
Iranian officials did not consider the attack to be politically motivated. Iran's law enforcement agencies stated that the attack was committed on personal grounds, and that the perpetrator came to the scene with two young children, though CCTV footage released from the embassy shows that he was alone during the attack.