Iranian diplomat shot dead in drive-by shooting in Yemen in attack condemned as 'terrorist criminal act'

• Economic attaché Ali Asadi was reportedly shot multiple times to the body
• Targetted as he drove out of the Iranian ambassador's residence in Sanaa
• A source claimed gunmen tried to kidnap him but shot him when he resisted
• It is the latest in a spate of attacks on Iranian officials in the Middle East
  

By DANIEL MILLER

Published: 14:01 EST, 18 January 2014 | Updated: 15:13 EST, 18 January 2014

An Iranian diplomat has been killed in a drive-by shooting in the Yemen, the latest in a spate of attacks on Iranian officials in the Middle East in recent months.

Economic attaché Ali Asghar Asadi was reportedly shot multiple times to the body as he drove out of the Iranian ambassador's residence in the southern Hadda district of the capital Sanaa.

According to one Yemeni police source, the attackers had driven past in a van and opened fire.

Economic attaché Ali Asghar Asadi was reportedly shot multiple times to the body as he drove out of the Iranian ambassador's residence (pictured) in the southern Hadda district of the capital Sanaa

However a separate source claimed the gunmen had first attempted to kidnap the diplomat but when he resisted, they shot him and fled.

Yemeni security officials said Asadi died of his injuries hospital. Iranian state television said he had been 'martyred'.

Yemen's Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi quickly condemned the attack, describing it as a 'terrorist criminal act' that targeted bilateral relations.

Relations between Iran and Yemen have soured over what Sanaa calls Iranian meddling in its domestic affairs.

Al-Qirbi said the two countries want to avoid any attempts to harm relations.

'This operation has targeted the Yemeni-Iranian relations before it targeted the diplomat,' he told the state news agency SANA. He said authorities will purse the culprits and bring them to justice.

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said: 'The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns this incident and will follow up on the case with the Yemeni authorities'.

Another Iranian diplomat in Yemen was abducted by gunmen in July and remains in captivity. Officials suspect al-Qaida militants to be behind that kidnapping. Negotiations to secure his release have so far failed.

Yemeni soldiers check vehicles in Sanaa last week after suspected al-Qaida militants attacked a military camp in central Yemen. Al-Qaida's Yemen branch is the world's most active, using political turmoil in the impoverished Gulf country to strengthen its presence there

Al-Qaida's Yemen branch is the world's most active, using political turmoil in the impoverished Gulf country to strengthen its presence there.

The government has been battling the militant groups, with assistance from the U.S., which has killed a number of suspected members in drone strikes.

Targeted killings of security officials have been on the rise in Yemen. A security official said an intelligence officer was shot dead by unknown assailants Thursday in a drive-by shooting in the southern province of Lahj.

Iran's diplomats also have been targeted elsewhere in the region. In November, suicide bombers targeted the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, killing at least 23 people.

Shiite-powerhouse Iran is the chief patron of Lebanon's Hezbollah and an ally of Syria's embattled President Bashar Assad.

In Yemen, the government and neighboring Saudi Arabia accuse Tehran of supporting Shiite rebels in the north, seeking to destabilize the country. Iran has dismissed the accusations.