US, Iran close Turkish missions after firearm incident, Russian envoy killing

The United States embassy in Ankara and its consulates in Istanbul and Adana will be closed for normal operations on Tuesday after an individual approached the embassy and discharged a firearm, the embassy said.

It said the individual, who opened fire at 3:50 am (0050 GMT), was in police custody and there were no reported injuries in the incident which occurred hours after Russia's ambassador was shot dead nearby by an off-duty policeman.

The Iranian embassy in Ankara announced that its consulates in the three Turkish cities of Istanbul, Trabzon and Erzurum will be closed on Tuesday after the Russian envoy's killing.

"All consular services in Iranian consulates in Istanbul, Trabzon and Erzurum will be closed on Tuesday, December 20. We urge all Iranians to avoid visiting these locations," the embassy said in a statement on its website.

Russia and Iran are the main supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the assailant who killed the Russian envoy shouted "Don't forget Aleppo" when he shot him.

Officials from the French and German embassies in Ankara told Reuters their operations were continuing normally for the time being.