The Iranian government condemned this Saturday the sanctions imposed by the United States, mainly on the Iranian Ministry of Information, accused of being responsible for the massive cyberattack directed against Albania in July.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Naser Kanani said the US accusations against Minister Esmail Khatib were “false and unproven”, Iranian state media reported.
Albania, a NATO member state, was the target of massive cyberattacks in July, attributed by Washington and Tirana to Iran.
After this attack, the Albanian government decided on Wednesday to break relations with Tehran, and Washington threatened to retaliate for the attack directed at the Balkan ally.
The Iranian embassy in Tirana immediately received an official notification demanding that all its diplomatic, technical, administrative and security personnel leave the country within the next 24 hours.
Naser Kanani also accused Washington of “using criminal organizations” against the Persian country, such as the Organization of the People’s Mujahideen of Iran (WIPO).
“This criminal organization continues to play a role as one of the tools of the United States to carry out terrorist acts, cyber attacks and psychological warfare against the Iranian government and people,” the Iranian diplomat said.
The spokesman also accused the United States of having “forced” Albania to host WIPO members on its territory, which caused diplomatic problems between Tirana and Iran.
Some 3,000 members of the group have a camp in Manez, an Albanian town located near the coastal city of Durres.
Since 2013, Albania has hosted on its territory, at the request of the United States and the UN, members of WIPO, an exile movement banned in Iran and that includes prominent opponents of the Iranian regime.
The mujahideen regularly organize meetings in Manez. But in 2022, the meeting scheduled for July was postponed by WIPO for unspecified “security reasons.”
After decades of isolation on the international scene under the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha, Albania took a turn towards the West, with its accession to NATO in 2009 and the presentation of the status of candidate to the European Union.
Source: Observadora
