Today, Wednesday, Albania announced the termination of relations with Iran and the expulsion of all diplomats present in its territory, and gave them only 24 hours to leave.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said the decision to cut ties with Tehran and expel the country’s diplomats was made after an investigation concluded that the cyber attack targeted Tirana last July.
According to Reuters, Rama said in a video he sent to the media: “The government has decided to cut diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
He said the “extreme” decision was fully proportionate to the severity of the cyber attack threatening public services in Albania.
He added that this attack also threatens to “wipe digital systems, hack government records, steal government electronic communications on the internal network, and create chaos and insecurity in the country.”
This is not the first time that Albania has expelled Iranian diplomats, having expelled two in 2020 for “activities incompatible with their diplomatic status,” a phrase commonly used for espionage.
In 2018, Albania expelled Iran’s ambassador and another diplomat on charges of “damaging national security”.
Source: Lebanon Debate
