Iran condemns Norway bombing

Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has condemned the deadly bomb attack in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, and extended condolences to the Scandinavian country.

Salehi offered Iran’s sympathies to the people and government of Norway in a Saturday message to Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Store, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

A heavy explosion rocked the government seat in Oslo on Friday, killing seven people and leaving at least 15 others injured.

Police say the powerful blast was caused by a bomb. Security officials evacuated people from the area and the army took up positions in central Oslo, fearing another explosion.

Meanwhile, a man dressed as a police officer opened fire at a youth meeting of Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s ruling Labour Party in Utoeya island, south of Oslo, and went on a shooting spree at the lakeside camp, killing 84 people on the same day.

While there was no official confirmation of the suspect’s identity, he was widely named by the local media as Anders Behring Breivik. Police confirmed that the suspect is ”Christian fundamentalist.”

The attacks were the worst in western Europe since the 2004 train bombings in the Spanish capital of Madrid, which claimed the lives of 191 people and left nearly 2,000 others wounded.