•  As Pakistan rejects allegations of role in Kabul bombing

Twin attacks on the Iranian parliament and Ayatollah Khomeini’s mausoleum in the capital, Tehran, have killed at least 12 people and injured many more.

The assault on the parliament building appears to be over, after hours of intermittent, audible gunfire there. A suicide bomber died at the mausoleum.

Iranian officials say they managed to foil a third attack.

The so-called Islamic State group (IS) has claimed it carried out the attacks, which would be a first in Iran.

IS later posted a video which showed what it claimed was footage from inside the parliament building.

Iranian media reported that four attackers inside the parliament building had been killed by security forces.

It is not clear whether the death toll of 12 includes the attackers, or whether the victims were killed at both incidents or solely at the parliament.

About 40 people were injured in the two attacks, according to emergency services chief Pir Hossein Kolivand.

Gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs entered the parliament on Wednesday morning. Images from the scene showed a major security operation as forces surrounded the building.

Heavy gunfire could be heard.

Iranian authorities denied that there had been a hostage situation inside the parliament building.

Speaker Ali Larijani downplayed the events, describing it as a “minor issue”.

Reports said the gunmen had entered parliament via a public entrance, dressed as women.

At about 10:40 (06:10 GMT) attackers at the mausoleum in southern Tehran, which is dedicated to the Islamic Republic’s founder Ayatollah Khomeini, opened fire.

The governor of Tehran said one attacker there had detonated a suicide vest and another had been killed by security forces, state broadcaster Irib reports.

Images from the scene showed grenades and magazines for automatic weapons, apparently recovered from the body of an attacker.

The suicide attacker was a woman, reports suggested.

Several members of the public, visiting the shrine, have been injured.

In the meantime,  Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership on Wednesday expressed concern over the “deteriorating” security situation in Afghanistan and rejected as “baseless” allegations that it had any hand in last week’s bombing in the war-torn country’s capital.

The assertion by Pakistan came as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a special meeting of the National Security Committee of the Cabinet to review issues of national and regional security.

The forum strongly condemned the recent incident of terrorism in Kabul and resolved to remain steadfast and resolute in support of the Afghan people, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The participants expressed concern on the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and strongly rejected the baseless allegations on Pakistan in that context,” the statement said.

Pakistan had last week also strongly rejected as “baseless” the Afghan allegations that the Taliban-linked militants with the help of Pakistani spy agency ISI carried out the bombing in Kabul that killed at least 150 people.

The Afghan intelligence service, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), had said early findings showed that the Haqqani network with the assistance of the ISI carried out the attack yesterday in Kabul.

The meeting today highlighted that Pakistan was the only country in the Afghan equation which has achieved clear and measurable success against terrorism despite limited capacity and huge human and economic costs.

“Pakistan has not only remained committed to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan but also worked with all regional and global initiatives to that end. At the same time Pakistan has shown exceptional restraint even when Afghan territory was used for terrorist acts in Pakistan which resulted in massive human losses,” the statement said.

It said that Pakistan was fully cognizant of institutional collaboration by elements hostile to Pakistan and will defend itself resolutely against manifest and future threats.

The statement said Pakistan remains committed to continue its ongoing efforts for local, regional and global peace.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Finance Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Director General ISI Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar and other top senior civil and military officials.

BBC with additional report from Zee