MNA– The Iranian Embassy in Ankara has issued a warning statement to Iranian nationals, urging them to avoid making unnecessary visits to the Embassy following the assassination of Russian envoy Andrey Karlov.


The Iranian Embassy in Ankara made the announcement in a statement on Sat., adding “in order to facilitate consular affairs for Iranian nationals, they are advised to make visits to Iran’s consulates in the three Turkish cities of Istanbul, Trabzon and Erzurum from 10 AM to 12 PM starting Monday, Dec. 26. Consular services will continue to be limited to this time period until further notice.”

The Embassy further called on Iranian nationals to avoid making visits to consulates on days and times other than those mentioned, advising them to visit the Embassy’s website for more information.

The release came after last week’s armed assault on Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov that was carried out by a 22-year-old Turkish off-duty police officer named Mevlut Mert Altintas at the opening of the "Russia through Turks' eyes" photo exhibition. Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly the al-Nusra Front) claimed responsibility for the murder on Wednesday.

Following the attack, all three Iranian consulates in Turkey were closed on Wednesday and Thursday, and were only open for two hours on Friday. Iran’s Foreign Ministry also released a statement, advising all Iranian tourists to avoid making unnecessary trips to Turkey until further notice.