TEHRAN— Following the illegal entry of an armed attacker into the parameters of the Iranian embassy in Denmark on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian held a phone conversation with Tehran’s Ambassador to Copenhagen Afsaneh Nadipour to discuss the situation caused by the entry of the assailant, who was armed with a cold weapon.

During the conversation, Ambassador Nadipour said, “Holding a cold arm, the assailant acted to cause intimidation and inflict damage on the cars parked at the embassy’s parking lot after entering the parameters of the embassy.”

“Unfortunately, despite official warnings issued earlier, the Danish police arrived at the scene with much delay,” she said.

The Iranian foreign minister sharply criticized the failure to provide security to Tehran’s ambassador and diplomatic mission, saying, “It is regrettable that such an assault targets a lady, who is an ambassador with diplomatic immunity, in the heart of Europe and that the police fail to arrive at the scene in time.”

Following the attack, Denmark’s ambassador to Tehran was summoned to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry website, aside from threats posed to the Islamic Republic’s ambassador, a local embassy staffer was injured, and some damage was inflicted on the embassy’s vehicles.

In the meeting, an official protest was lodged with the Danish ambassador over the failure to provide security to the Iranian embassy and diplomats.

It was also emphasized that the host government’s responsibility in that regard is crystal clear based on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and that Denmark’s government is strongly expected to shoulder its international responsibility to provide security for diplomatic missions.

In response, the Danish envoy offered an apology over what had happened and emphasized that security was tightened and will remain tight in the wake of the incident.

The envoy said he will swiftly convey the matter to Copenhagen.

Assaults on diplomatic missions not limited to Denmark

Meanwhile, Nasser Kanani, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said assaults against Iran’s diplomatic missions is not just limited to the one in Copenhagen. 

Writing on his Twitter on Saturday, Kanaani said, “In a serious security incident at our embassy in Copenhagen, an attacker tried to attack our ambassador, who is also a lady, with a knife - and fortunately failed in doing so. This attack on a diplomatic mission is the latest case of violent and illegal actions against Iran in Europe.”

He continued, “Recently, there have been other violent attacks on our diplomatic missions in Europe. The connection between these attacks and the political support of the West for the rioters inside Iran cannot be coincidental.”

The diplomat further emphasized, “Host governments have a legal obligation to protect diplomatic places and diplomats. It is expected that they will do so without delay.”