Iranian Envoy Deplores Istanbul Bomb Blast
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Ambassador to Ankara Ebrahim Taherian expressed sympathy with the Turkish government and nation after a car bomb targeting a police bus in central Istanbul killed 11 people and injured dozens of others on Tuesday.
The Iranian envoy met with Under Secretary of the Turkish Foreign Ministry Feridun Sinirlioglu on Tuesday to discuss major regional and international developments.
In the meeting, Taherian denounced the “inhumane” terrorist attack in Istanbul that claimed civilian lives, and offered condolences to the families of the victims.
The blast, in the Beyazit neighborhood of Istanbul's historic Fatih district, occurred at about 8:40 a.m. local time during morning rush hour.
It killed seven police officers and four civilians, and left 36 people injured, three of them critically, Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin told reporters.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but the state-run Anadolu news agency reported that Istanbul police had detained four people for questioning.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited injured people at an Istanbul hospital and promised a thorough investigation into the attack. “We will keep up our struggle against terrorists,” he told reporters.
The blast, which hit on the second day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, was the fourth major bombing in Istanbul this year, two of which were largely aimed at civilians and two at security officials.
