TIRANA —
Albania broke diplomatic ties with Iran on Wednesday over an alleged
cyberattack against the government this summer, as Washington vowed to hold
Tehran accountable for targeting its NATO ally.
اضافة اعلان
Albania and Iran
have been bitter foes for years, stemming from Tirana’s hosting of the Iranian
opposition group the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran on its soil.
Prime Minister
Edi Rama on Wednesday accused Iran of directing a cyberattack against Albanian
institutions on July 15 in a bid to “paralyze public services and hack data and
electronic communications from the government systems”.
It was the first
time Tirana spoke about the alleged attack, and Rama said his country cut ties
with Iran over it.
“The council of
ministers has decided on the severance of diplomatic relations with the Islamic
Republic of Iran with immediate effect,” said Rama.
“The said attack
failed its purpose. Damages may be considered minimal compared to the goals of
the aggressor. All systems came back fully operational and there was no
irreversible wiping of data.”
The prime minister
went on to say that Iranian diplomats and embassy staff had 24 hours to leave
the country.
Following the
announcement,
Washington lambasted Iran for the alleged cyberattack, vowing to
provide support to its ally in the Balkans.
“The US strongly
condemns Iran’s cyberattack against our NATO ally, Albania,” National Security
Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
“The US 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,” Watson added.
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