Security tightened at US consulate in Hyderabad

Security beefed up at the US Consulate which is located in the busy Begumpet area of Hyderabad. This comes after Iran launched a series of attacks on US targets in Iraq including targeting of at least two bases at Al-Asad and Abril with over a dozen ballistic missiles.

Hyderabad: The security at the US Consulate here has been beefed up in view of the rising tension between the US and Iran.

The Hyderabad Police deployed more police personnel, and security barricades were erected near the office of the US Consulate General, which is located in the busy Begumpet area to prevent any untoward incident.

Police were seen frisking people and checking their identity before allowing them towards the consulate in the Chiran Fort Club lane. The people working in offices around the consulate had a tough time in reaching their destinations due to the heightened security.

US security personnel have also put in place additional security measures at the consulate.

The move came amid the growing tension between the US and Iran following the killing of a top Iranian general by the US in Iraq. Tehran has threatened to target the US in retaliation and carried out missile attacks on two US bases in Iraq.

Hyderabad has consulates of both the US and Iran. This historic city is also home to a sizeable number of people of Iranian descent.

The city, which has a large number of Shia Muslims, witnessed protests against the killing of Iran's top commander Major General Qasem Soleimani.

Iranian Consul General in Hyderabad, Mohammad Haghbin Ghomi also issued a statement condemning the killing of Soleimani and alleged that the US was trying to bring back terrorists into the region. The Iranian consulate also opened a book of condolence at its premises in the Banjara Hills.