Albania Cuts Ties With Iran After Accusing Tehran of Massive Cyberattack
Albanian Prime Minister announced the breaking of diplomatic ties with Iran on Wednesday after accusing the Islamic Republic of a massive cyberattack against the small Balkan country this summer. “The Council of Ministers has decided on the severance of diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran with immediate effect,” said Rama.
The prime minister accused Iran of launching a cyberattack on Albanian institutions on July 15 with the intention to “paralyze public services and hack data and electronic communications from the government systems.”
Rama said the attack failed and the damage was minimal “compared to the goals of the aggressor.” He further said all of the targeted systems were restored and fully operational and “there was no irreversible wiping of data.”
Albania has given Iranian diplomats and support staff 24 hours to leave the country.
Tirana has long earned Tehran’s ire by hosting the Iranian opposition group the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, designated a terrorist group by both Iran and Iraq, on Albanian soil.
The White House on Wednesday condemned what it called an “unprecedented” cyberattack by Iran on US ally Albania and warned that Tehran would face consequences.
“The United States strongly condemns Iran’s cyberattack against our NATO Ally, Albania,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement, adding that Iran should be “held accountable.”
“The United States will take further action to hold Iran accountable for actions that threaten the security of a US ally and set a troubling precedent for cyberspace.”
