A former vice-president and the ex-mayor of Tehran, Mohammad Ali Najafi, has turned himself in and confessed to shooting dead his wife Mitra Ostad for family problems.

Najafi on Tuesday went to the Criminal Police headquarters in Tehran in person and confessed to the murder with gunshots.

He said that he had accidentally killed his wife with his gun during a fight at her apartment.

The woman, Mitra, was found dead on Tuesday noon with a couple of bullets in her chest.

Najafi had resigned as the mayor of Tehran in April 2018, citing failing health for leaving the office. Soon after the resignation, his wife announced their marriage in a post in her Instagram account.

Najafi had earlier served as the minister of education, the minister of culture in various administrations.