Iran Condemns Terrorist Attack on Italian Consulate in Egypt


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian foreign ministry strongly condemned a deadly bombing outside the Italian consulate in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, and reiterated that terrorism is “a common threat” against global peace and stability.

In a statement on Sunday evening, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham expressed her condolences to the bereaved victims of the terrorist attack, which killed a civilian and wounded nine other people.

“Extremism and terrorism is a common threat against regional and international peace and stability and fighting against it requires all-out international cooperation,” she noted.

A car bomb struck the Italian consulate on Saturday in the first attack on a foreign mission in Egypt since militants launched an insurgency against the country's security forces two years ago following a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood movement.

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed the car bomb attack, following calls by the group's spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani urging strikes on Western targets wherever possible.

The consulate's location in downtown Cairo made it a target, said a Western diplomat on condition of anonymity.

The mission is housed in an historic building between Ramses train station and Tahrir Square, amid a maze of streets filled with people, vehicles and vendors.