The victims are reportedly a Turkish security guard and an embassy staff of American origin.
At least three people, including a woman, were also wounded. Ankara has confirmed that a Turkish citizen detonated his explosives outside the embassy’s visa section.
Interior Minister Muammer Guler says the bomber, who was also killed in the blast, belonged to a leftist group.
The explosion caused damage to the checkpoint, but there was no damage inside the embassy.
The force of the blast also damaged nearby buildings in the Cankaya neighborhood, where many other state institutions and embassies are located.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
In 2008, three police officers and three gunmen were killed in an attack outside the American consulate in Istanbul.
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