TEHRAN (Iran News) – In a statement on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh deplored the heinous attack in the city of Peshawar and offered sympathy to the Pakistani nation, government and the bereaved families of the victims.

The spokesman said the killing of innocent people, including defenseless children, showed that the perpetrators of such terrorist acts do not adhere to any moral and humanitarian principles.

Khatibzadeh said the terrorist acts in some neighboring countries in recent weeks are part of sinister plans to escalate ethnic and religious differences in the region.

He underlined that combating such vicious moves requires vigilance, cooperation and comprehensive efforts of the regional governments.

An explosion at a religious school in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed at least seven people and wounded 109 others, police and health officials say.

The blast occurred at the Speen Jamaat mosque, which also serves as a religious school for the local community in the city’s Dir Colony area, at 8:30am local time (3:30 GMT) on Tuesday, a police official told Al Jazeera shortly after the blast.’

It was not immediately clear how many children were among those killed or wounded, as the students gathered at the school included many who were adults.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility following the attack.

 LAHORE, Pakistan — At least seven people were killed and more than 70 wounded when a powerful explosion ripped through an Islamic religious school in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, officials said.

Classes were underway early Tuesday at the school, the Jamia Zuberia madrasa, located in a crowded suburban neighborhood outside Peshawar, when the explosion shook the compound. Officials said an improvised-explosive device was most likely used in the blast.

No group has claimed immediate responsibility.

The majority of those injured were taken to the nearby Lady Reading Hospital. A state of emergency was declared for the city’s other hospitals, which prepared for the crush of wounded victims.

Television footage showed a scene of devastation at the site of the blast. The religious school was cordoned off as officials combed for forensic evidence.