The attack on the Parliament triggered a five-hour standoff that ended with all assailants dead.

The assaults began in the mid-morning when four gunmen burst into the Parliament complex in the center of Tehran with Kalashnikov rifles and pistols, killing a security guard and another person.

Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Hossein Zolfaqari said they were dressed as women and entered through the visitors’ entrance.

As gunshots continued in the neighboring office buildings, police helped staff to escape from windows and snipers took positions from rooftops.

One of the attackers later blew himself up inside, where a session had been in progress, while others were killed by security forces, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Soon after the assault on Parliament, two assailants entered the grounds of Imam Khomeini’s Mausoleum, a few kilometers outside Tehran, killing a gardener and wounding several other people.

One detonated an explosive vest, while the other was shot dead.

The Daesh terror group claimed responsibility and released a 24-second video purportedly shot inside the Parliament building during the standoff. Circulated online, the video shows a gunman and a bloody, lifeless body of a man lying on the ground next to a desk.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani called the attack a cowardly act.

“Iran is an active and effective pillar in the fight against terrorists, and they want to damage it,” he said.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif strongly condemned the attacks, saying the entire region has been plagued with terrorism and insecurity.

Zarif expressed deep sorrow over the terrorist attacks and said that in terms of security, the region is in a very bad situation.

“Terrorism is a problem that we are facing in the Middle East region and the world,” the top diplomat said.

The unusual attacks prompted the Interior Ministry to call for an urgent security meeting. Officials at one point urged people to avoid using public transportation until further notice.

The Intelligence Ministry said security forces had busted another terrorist team planning a third attack. It said the team was neutralized before the attacks started.

Condemnations

Reactions poured in after attackers mounted gun and bomb assaults on the Parliament building and Imam Khomeini’s Mausoleum.

Russian President Vladimir Putin forwarded a message to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani, conveying condolences over the attacks, the Kremlin press service said in a statement.

“The Russian leader strongly condemned this attack which once again emphasized the need to boost international cooperation in the fight against terrorism,” the statement read.
“Putin conveyed his sympathy and support to the families of the victims, and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded,” the statement added.

The European Union foreign policy chief sent her condolences to the victims of the attacks.

In a phone conversation with Zarif, Federica Mogherini expressed sympathy with the Iranian government and people.

Mogherini said she was following events very closely on this “very sad day again”.

The UN resident coordinator and UNDP representative in Iran extended condolences to the families of the victims on behalf of the world body.

In his Instagram page, Gary Lewis said hate drives terror but love and search for peace will win in the end.

Iraqi senior officials, including President Fuad Masum, slammed the attacks.

In a letter to his Iranian counterpart, Masum underlined the role of solidarity between Iranian and Iraqi nations in confronting terrorism.

He said the attacks run counter to the teachings of divine religions and human morality.

Syria strongly condemned the assaults, stressing that such terrorist attacks that are backed by “well-known countries” will not discourage Syria and Iran from continuing to fight terrorism.

In a statement, the country’s Foreign Ministry voiced Syria’s full solidarity with the leadership, government and people of Iran and expressed its condolences to the families of the victims.

Oman extended condolences to the families of the Iranians killed in the terror assaults.

In a statement, the Omani Foreign Ministry denounced violence and terror attacks, which it said result in insecurity and instability as well as the death of innocent people.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office condemned the raids, saying the country “stands in solidarity with the people of Iran in their hour of grief”.

Pakistan offered its deepest condolences to the bereaved families of those affected, the Iranian government and people.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani slammed the attacks as “cowardly acts”.

In a statement released by the country’s presidential office,   Ghani called for international consensus to fight against the “gloomy phenomenon” of terrorism.

The United Arab Emirates also condemned the attacks.

“Our position on terrorism is very clear… Any terrorist attack in any country, in any capital, directed at innocent people is something that the UAE abhors and condemns,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry condemned the assaults as “heinous”.

“We are saddened to learn that Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Imam Khomeini’s Mausoleum in Tehran have come under terrorist attacks this morning and there are people who lost their lives or are injured as a result of these attacks,” a statement read.

“We condemn these heinous attacks, wish Allah’s mercy upon those who lost their lives and convey our condolences to the people of Iran, particularly to the relatives of those who lost their lives, as well as the government of Iran, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” it added.

France’s Foreign Ministry denounced the raids in the Iranian capital.

“We strongly condemn the attacks that targeted the Iranian Parliament and the Imam Khomeini’s Mausoleum in Tehran,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It said its embassy was monitoring the situation and passed on its condolences to the families of the victims.

The Norwegian foreign minister condemned the assaults.

In his Twitter account, Børge Brende offered his deepest condolences to the victims, their families and to all Iranians.