TEHRAN- The "terrorist event" that left some people dead on a major retail street in Istanbul, Turkey's commercial capital, is strongly condemned by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

"We vehemently condemn any act of terrorism that affects the nation and people of Turkey," ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said.

 He said, “We stand on the side of the friendly and brotherly government and people of the Turkish republic, and we wish those injured in the unfortunate incident a swift recovery.”

On Sunday afternoon a powerful explosion tore through the busy Istiklal Street.

The explosion may have resulted in several fatalities and at least 83 injuries. Authorities later revealed that two of the victims were a federal ministry employee and his daughter. Two of the five patients in intensive care were in a serious state.

The purported attack has not been attributed to any individual or organization.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian also denounced the attack. He expressed condolences to the "friendly and fraternal" Turkish government and people on his Twitter account.

“We strongly condemn the terrorist act and the targeting of innocent people in Istanbul,” he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the incident had all the characteristics of a "terrorist attack."

At a news conference, Erdogan said, "It might be wrong if we say for sure that this is terror, but according to first signs. There is a smell of terror there.”

The attack's perpetrators will face consequences, the Turkish president promised.

Before leaving for the Group of 20 (G20) meeting in Indonesia, he promised his people that the attackers will be punished.

Vice President Fuat Oktay visited the scene of the explosion and stated, "We believe that it is a terrorist act carried out by an assailant, whom we estimate to be a woman, igniting the device."

"A woman had been sitting on one of the benches for more than 40 minutes before she got up," stated Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag.

He speculated that the woman had placed an explosive-filled bag on the bench she was sitting on before the incident and said, "One or two minutes later, an explosion happened." He made this statement to A Haber television.