Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned the “barbaric” attack on two mosques in New Zealand that killed scores of people, saying the incident highlighted the need for concerted action against terrorism and the Islamophobia prevailing in the West, Tasnim News Agency reported.

In a statement on Friday night, Rouhani slammed the terrorist and racially-motivated attack on worshippers at the New Zealand mosques as a heinous and tragic measure that saddened the Iranian nation.

He said the barbaric attack that killed and injured innocent worshippers was another stark reminder of the need for collective action against terrorism, hate campaigns targeting religious and sectarian groups, and the prevailing Islamophobia in the West that is unfortunately being promoted by certain Western governments.

Rouhani also said the “unprofessional and inhumane” coverage of the terror attack by some Western news media revealed the Western racism and its double standards about lives of people.

Stressing the need for Muslim nations to show serious reaction to the anti-human crime, the president reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to fighting against terrorism and racism.

He went on to say that Iran’s Foreign Ministry will pursue measures about the abhorrent attack and would keep calling for the arrest of the organizers and perpetrators of the shooting at the international level.