Baku Says Some Iranian Entities Behind Attack On Its Embassy In Tehran

President of Azerbaijan Republic says entities related to the Iranian government were involved in the armed attack on the country's embassy in Tehran last month.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Ilham Aliyev said “normalization of relations with Iran depends on a transparent investigation that will bring the perpetrators (of the attack) to justice."

In an armed attack by an Iranian citizen on the embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan on January 27, the head of the embassy's security was killed, and two other security staff were injured.

A day later, Baku evacuated its diplomatic staff and their families from the country and then suspended the activity of its embassy in Tehran. However, the relations between the two countries have not been interrupted and the Iranian embassy in Baku continues to work.

In his first criticism, Ilham Aliyev said the police's lack of swift action to stop the gunman and the fact that the state television interviewed the assailant immediately after his arrest showed he was sent "by some organizations of the Iranian regime."

The Islamic Republic says it has arrested the attacker, but it avoids “getting into a rush” in the case.

Tehran claims the gunman appeared to have had a personal, not a political, motive, but the Republic of Azerbaijan insists there is enough proof for this attack to be considered a terrorist act.