Albanian special forces police forced the door of the Iranian Embassy in Tirana on Thursday and police surrounded the building, after the last members of the diplomatic team left, obeying an expulsion order.
The officers, in full combat gear, entered the building and were followed by other officers and accompanied by a police dog.
On Wednesday, the Albanian government gave the Iranian embassy team 24 hours to leave the country, following a cyberattack that Albania blames on the Tehran regime.
The last two cars of the Embassy of Iran, with a dozen passengers, left the building today, after much movement during the night.
Albanian government sources declined to say where the Iranian embassy staff had gone, but average Locals said some items had departed from Tirana International Airport and others were moving to neighboring North Macedonia.
The area of the building, located in the center of the Albanian capital, just 200 meters from the main government offices, was cordoned off by police and passers-by were not allowed access.
Movement inside the Iranian Embassy in Tirana was non-stop throughout the night and, at one point, an empty barrel was carried into the building where a fire would have apparently served to burn documents.
A July 15 cyberattack temporarily shut down several Albanian government websites and digital services.
On Wednesday, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said there was “undeniable evidence” that the Iranian government was behind the attack.
The United States backed NATO member Albania’s move and vowed retaliation against Iran, citing a “troubling precedent.”
NATO also expressed its full support for Albania, condemning the attack and promising to increase protection against criminal activities in cyberspace.
Iran condemned the expulsion of the diplomats and called the action reckless, according to a message broadcast on Iranian state television.
In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied that its government was behind any cyber attacks on Albanian websites.
Ties between Iran and Albania have been strained since 2014, when Tirana was home to some 3,000 members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, MEK, who had fled Iraq.
In July, the MEK planned to hold the World Summit on Free Iran in Manez, west of Tirana, with US congressmen among the guests.
The meeting was canceled for security reasons and because of terrorist threats and plots.
Previously, in 2020 and 2018, Tirana had expelled four Iranian diplomats for “threats to national security”.
Source: TSF
