TEHRAN – Iran has strongly condemned the terrorist attack in London while criticizing what it called European countries’ “double standards” on combating terrorism.

On Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi extended Iran’s condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims as well as those injured in the brutal terrorist attack and stabbing attack outside the UK Parliament in London.

He further warned, “No country can consider itself immune from terrorism and terrorists as long as we witness the [establishment of] inefficient and theatrical coalitions at international and regional levels to fight terror as well as the double standards being pursued by the Western countries in countering this heinous and inhumane phenomenon.”

“Today, terrorism knows no borders,” said the Iranian official. “In order to uproot this evil and odious phenomenon, the channels for sending arms and equipment to the terrorists should be cut and the financial and moral support for the countries and groups disseminating terrorist ideas should be stopped.”

On Wednesday, at least three people were killed and 40 others were injured outside the UK Parliament in London after an assailant plowed a car into pedestrians and stabbed a police officer, an incident that Metropolitan Police declared a terrorist incident. 

The dead were two members of the public, the stabbed policeman and the attacker.

Of the injured 29 remain in hospital, seven in critical condition, after the incident which resembled Islamic State-inspired attacks in France and Germany where vehicles were driven into crowds.

Driving a large SUV, the assailant slammed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge near Parliament, killing two people and injuring dozens, before crashing into a fence.

The assailant sped across Westminster Bridge in a car, ploughing into pedestrians, then ran through the gates of the nearby parliament building and fatally stabbed an unarmed policeman before being shot dead.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement issued by its Amaq news agency, but it gave no name or details and it was not clear whether the attacker was directly connected to the jihadist group.

Police arrested eight people at six locations in London and Birmingham in the investigation into Wednesday's lone-wolf attack.

"What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism," Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday in a statement to parliament.

"He was a peripheral figure ... He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot," she said, adding his identity would be revealed when the investigation allowed.

The mayhem in London came on the first anniversary of attacks that killed 32 people in Brussels.

AK/AK