TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Saturday strongly condemning the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, saying Tehran stands on “the side of the families of the victims”.

“In these difficult hours Iran sees itself on the side of the families of the victims of these ‘blind’ terrorist attacks,” the ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said.
Ansari said, “The perpetrators of this crime are alien to the spirit of Islam, all divine religions, and moral principles.”
The spokesman said Iran is unwavering in its “campaign against terrorism and extremism” and is ready to cooperate with other countries in this campaign.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who was to start his tour of Rome and Paris on Saturday for talks with French and Italian leaders has postponed his visits.
Rouhani sent a message to President Francois Hollande strongly condemning the attacks in Paris.
Rouhani said the terrorist attacks in which a large number of “innocent” people were killed or injured caused “great sorrow and grief”.
“I strongly condemn this inhuman crime and offer condolences to the sorrowful people and government of France,” the president said in his message to Hollande.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the terrorist attacks in Paris, which he described as a “disaster”, should provide an opportunity for a “coordinated international campaign against terrorism”.