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 Albania |  Iran |
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Albania and Iran have no diplomatic relations after Albania severed them on the date of September 16, 2022. Albania's alignment with the United States and their decision to allow the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran to take refuge in the country had already strained relations between the two countries. Tensions came to a head when Albania suspended diplomatic ties, accusing Iran of an alleged major cyber attack. [1]
Due to distance between the two countries, it was unclear when the two countries first established relations, though it is highly likely the relations began following the World War II, when Albania became a communist state and Iran was under the Pahlavi dynasty. [2] As Albania was a communist state, it aligned with the Soviet Union while Pahlavi Iran allied with the United States throughout the early phase of Cold War.
Ancient relations between Iran and Albania:Albania and Iran are both Indo-European countries and are culturally similar. Their cultural relations also date back to the ancient Illyrian and Iranian peoples. The Illyrians were largely involved in the military defense of Greece against the Achaemenid Empire, while maintaining cultural exchanges among the Greeks.
Following the establishment of Islamic theocracy in Iran at 1979, Albania, being a communist state, aligned with the Soviets against Iran in the Iran–Iraq War. [2]
At first, Iran sought to gain support from Albanians by fighting in the Kosovo War, and there were reports about Iranian fighters in Kosovo, as well as Iranian media openly spread news about Albanians thanking Iranian support and desire for a similar theocratic state, similar to the tactics with which Iran gained successful support from the Bosniaks in the previous Bosnian War. [3] Iranian president Muhammad Khatami had strongly opposed the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 and condemned NATO harshly. [4]
As for the result of Albania's alignment with the United States, poor relations between Iran and Albania started to bear the pressure. In 2002, Iran founded the "Koran Foundation of Kosovo" with hope to drive Albanians in both Albania and Kosovo to abandon its secularism and support a Shi'a theocracy, but it was unsuccessful; Albanian police even launched crackdowns on the foundation. [5] Since 2008 Iran has refused to recognize the independence of Kosovo.
Albania's decision to welcome People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) taking refuge in the country led to further deterioration of Albanian–Iranian relations. [6] According to Al Jazeera, the exiled MEK has constructed a center at its Albanian headquarters where 1,000 to 1,500 "online soldiers" are taught to spread hashtags in support of overthrowing the Islamic Republic. [7] In 2021, Facebook company removed hundreds of fake accounts which were associated with a MEK troll farm based in Albania. The company said that it deleted more than 300 accounts from a network associated with Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) [8] The group denied the existence of an Albanian troll farm connected to the MEK. [9] Albanian President Ilir Meta dismissed the Iranian claim, and condemned the Iranian government. [10] [11]
Albania accused Iran of plotting terrorist attacks in the country during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, and expelled Iranian diplomats in response, including the Iranian ambassador. [12] Iran, in response, accused Albania of fabrication under American and Israeli pressure. [12]
In January 2020, following the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani made speeches smearing "a small and sinister country" for trying to overthrow the Islamic regime in Iran, which was believed to be directed at Albania due to MEK's refugee status. [10] Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama openly endorsed an attack against Iran by the U.S. in response to Iranian criticism against Albania. [10]
On 15 July 2022 [13] Albania suffered a serious cyberattack, which temporarily shut down numerous Albanian government digital services and websites. [14] The Albanian government advised the purpose of the attack was in a bid to "destroy it, paralyse public services and hack data and electronic communications from the government systems", but ultimately the attack failed. [15]
The attack was identified by cybersecurity firm Mandiant as having been conducted by agents that had previously acted on behalf of Iran. Iran publicly denied responsibility of the attacks, framing the attacks as "anti-Iranian" and alleging that "third parties" had maligned Iran through creating allegations of Iranian hacking. [16] The Albanian government has responded by announcing that they were working with Microsoft and the FBI in an investigation into the cyberattack. [17]
On 7 September 2022, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced Albania would sever relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in response to a cyberattack conducted by Iran against the Albanian state. [18] [19] All embassy staff, including diplomatic and security personnel, were ordered to leave Albania within 24 hours, in note delivered to the Iranian embassy in Tirana. [20]
The United States soon after declared that they will take "further action" in response to the attack on a NATO ally. [18]
Shirin Nariman, an Iranian-American supporter of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, previously designated as a terrorist group by the United States, praised Albania's actions and expressed a wish that more countries would follow suit. [21]
Turkey, through its embassy in Tehran now represents Albania's interest in Iran. [22] [23]
On the 1 February 2024, Albania suffered another round of cyberattacks from Iran, with the latest round of cyberattacks targeting INSTAT, Albania’s statistical gathering appartus. [24]
The foreign relations of Albania are its relations with other governments and peoples. Foreign relations are conducted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana. The current minister is Igli Hasani. The current Ambassador to the United Nations is Ferit Hoxha.
Foreign relations of Portugal are linked with its historical role as a major player in the Age of Discovery and the holder of the now defunct Portuguese Empire. Portugal is a European Union member country and a founding member of NATO. It is a committed proponent of European integration and transatlantic relations. João Gomes Cravinho is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal.
Foreign relations of Israel refers to diplomatic and trade relations between Israel and other countries around the world. Israel has diplomatic ties with 164 of the other 192 UN member states as of December 2020. Israel is a member of the United Nations (UN) and a number of other international organisations. Israel maintains full diplomatic relations with two of its Arab neighbours, Egypt and Jordan, after signing peace treaties in 1979 and 1994 respectively. In 2020, Israel signed agreements establishing diplomatic relations with four Arab League countries, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Morocco. As of 2021, Israel had formal diplomatic relations with 168 other countries, while twenty-eight UN member states have either never established, or have broken off diplomatic relations with Israel.
The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) or Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), is an Iranian dissident organization that was previously armed but has now transitioned primarily into a political advocacy group. Its headquarters are currently in Albania. The group's ideology is rooted in "Islam with revolutionary Marxism," but after the Iranian Revolution became about overthrowing the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and installing its own government. At one point the MEK was Iran's "largest and most active armed dissident group," and it is still sometimes presented by Western political backers as a major Iranian opposition group, but it is also deeply unpopular today within Iran, largely due to its siding with Iraq in the Iran–Iraq War.
Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been accused by several countries of training, financing, and providing weapons and safe havens for non-state militant actors, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and other Palestinian groups such as the Islamic Jihad (IJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). These groups are designated terrorist groups by a number of countries and international bodies such as the EU, UN, and NATO; however, Iran considers such groups to be "national liberation movements" with a right to self-defense against Israeli military occupation. These proxies are used by Iran across the Middle East and Europe to foment instability, expand the scope of the Islamic Revolution, and carry out terrorist attacks against Western targets in the regions. Its special operations unit, the Quds Force, is known to provide arms, training, and financial support to militias and political movements across the Middle East, including Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen.
Albania–United States relations are diplomatic relations between the Republic of Albania and the United States of America. Relations were first established in 1911 following Albania's independence from the Ottoman Empire, ending in 1939 due to German and Italian occupation in the Second World War, and re-established in 1991 after the fall of communism in Albania and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Albania–Greece relations are diplomatic relations between Albania and Greece. They are influenced by various factors, including the presence of Albanian immigrants in Greece, the Greek minority in Albania, historical and cultural ties, and high-level contacts between the governments of both countries.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between Albania and the Soviet Union happened on April 7, 1924. Both countries were also allies in the Warsaw Pact. Albania has an embassy in Moscow. Russia has an embassy in Tirana.
The diplomatic relations between Israel and Serbia were established on January 31, 1992, when Serbia was part of FR Yugoslavia. Israel has an embassy in Belgrade and Serbia had one in Tel Aviv. Yugoslavia was the second country in Europe to recognize Israel in 1948. The two countries have economic and cultural ties, helped by a sizable community of Jews from the former Yugoslavia in Israel. Serbia agreed to move its embassy to Jerusalem on 4 September 2020 but decided not to after Israeli recognition of Kosovo as a sovereign state, something Serbia disputes.
Relations between Albania and Serbia have been complex and largely unfriendly due to a number of historical and political events.
Relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Morocco are mostly non-existent, and diplomatic relations between the two nations have often been tarred by disputes. On several occasions Iran and Morocco have mostly or completely severed diplomatic relations. Both countries are members of Group of 77 and the Non-Aligned Movement.
The Embassy of the United States in Tirana is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America in Albania.
Cyberwarfare is a part of Iran's "soft war" military strategy. Being both a victim and wager of cyberwarfare, Iran is considered an emerging military power in the field.
The 2016 attack on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran was a mob action on 2 January 2016 by protesters against the execution of a prominent Saudi Arabian Shi'a cleric. Mobs stormed the embassy in Tehran and the Saudi consulate in Mashhad and ransacked them. The embassy building was set on fire with Molotov cocktails and petrol bombs. During the attacks, the police arrived and dispersed protesters from the embassy premises and extinguished the fire.
The diplomatic relations between Albania and Ukraine were established in 1922. In September 2020, Ukraine opened an embassy in Tirana. Albania is accredited to Ukraine from its embassy in Warsaw, Poland and has an honorary consulate in Kharkiv.
Bilateral relations exist between the countries of Bahrain and Iran. Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, relations between the two countries have been strained over various geopolitical issues such as the interpretations of Islam, Awakening of the Islamic world, and relations with the United States, Europe, and other Western countries. In addition, Iran has been severely critical of Bahrain for hosting the United States Fifth Fleet within the Persian Gulf at the Naval Support Activity Bahrain base.
Albania–Poland relations are diplomatic relations between the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Poland. Poland was the first Slavic nation to recognize Kosovo as an independent entity, however the relationship between the two nations is lower than usual. Nonetheless, the two countries have been working closer since the fall of communism at 1989 and there has been strong renewal of relationship between two nations.
Camp Ashraf 3 is the current headquarters of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran in Manëz, Durrës County, Albania. This camp is located in an area between the capital of Albania (Tirana) and the coastal city of Durres. In 2013, after the closure of the Camp Liberty, the members of the Mojahedin organization were transferred to European countries, mostly to Albania.
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