Iran strongly condemns Istanbul 'terrorist incident'
The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemns a "terrorist incident" that killed several people in a busy shopping street in Turkey's commercial hub of Istanbul.
"We strongly condemn whatever act of terrorism that targets the country and people of Turkey," spokesman Nasser Kan'ani said on Sunday.
"We stand by the side of the friendly and brotherly government and people of the Turkish republic," he added, wishing speedy recovery for those who were wounded in the tragic incident.
The remarks came after a heavy explosion ripped through the Turkish city's Istiklal street, which was packed with people at the time of the blast.
As many as six people were killed and at least 81 others injured in the blast. Authorities later said a government ministry worker and his daughter were among the dead. Five people were in intensive care in hospital, two of them in a critical condition.
No person or group has claimed responsibility for the apparent attack.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, said the incident bore the hallmarks of an act of "terror."
"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," Erdogan told a press conference.
The Turkish president pledged that the perpetrators of the attack would be punished.
“Our people can rest assured that the culprits behind the attack will be punished as they deserve,” he said before his departure to the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia.
Visiting the site of the explosion, Vice President Fuat Oktay said, "We believe that it is a terrorist act carried out by an attacker, whom we consider to be a woman, exploding the bomb."
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said, "A woman had been sitting on one of the benches for more than 40 minutes and then she got up."
"One or two minutes later, an explosion occurred," he told A Haber television, speculating that the woman had left an explosive-laden bag on the bench she had been sitting on before the blast.
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