Iran Executes Man Behind Azerbaijan Embassy Attack

A man accused of a fatal shooting at Azerbaijan's embassy in Tehran, Iran, was executed on Wednesday.

The shooting, which took place in January 2023 and led to the killing of the Azeri embassy security chief, brought relations between Tehran and Baku to a new low, with the latter branding the shooting an “act of terrorism”, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.

Judicial authorities ruled the attack was for “personal reasons”, Iran's judiciary news outlet Mizan reported.

“I thought my wife was at Azerbaijan's embassy in Tehran and was not willing to meet me. I decided to go there with a Kalashnikov rifle,” the defendant said during his trial, according to Mizan.

The two neighbouring countries have had tense relations, with Baku accusing Tehran of discriminating against its large ethnic Azeri minority and Iran voicing concerns regarding Azerbaijan's ties with its arch-rival Israel, and potential border changes after a military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian travelled to Baku last month, where he said Tehran hoped to resolve all issues jointly and to strengthen bilateral relations.

On January 27, 2023, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran was targeted in a terrorist attack carried out by Yasin Huseynzade. Armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, Huseynzade breached the embassy’s guard post and opened fire inside the mission. The attack resulted in the tragic death of Orkhan Asgarov, head of the embassy’s security service, and left two other staff members injured.