Albania aims to declare Iran a sponsor state of terrorism

Speaking at a press conference, Rama said the decision would be made next week.

Albania's “Parliament will be invited to vote on a resolution to declare the Republic of Khomenian Iran I can't say Islam, because it has nothing to do with Islam according to what I know and I appreciate in Islam the sponsor state of terrorism. Along with that will be announced Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah”, Rama stressed.

Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States and other powers.

Meanwhile, the European Union months ago declared Iran's Revolutionary Guard terrorist.

Albania's goal comes days after its Assembly was targeted in a cyber attack, which Rama -- and Foreign Affairs Minister Ferit Hoxha -- said during the report to the Commission for Security -- that it came from Iran.

The head of the government said cyber attacks by Iran are ongoing, even, according to him, daily, since 2022.

The prime minister added Albania has cyber defence capacities, and among the best in Europe, but indicated that the Assembly has not yet been involved in them.

Our problem is that we have not yet involved the entire system within the defence network. There are no problems with critical areas where they can attack. We are attacked by Iran every day, not once. They never stopped the attacks. These are sensitive data, in cyber defence systems there are readings and traces of any attack, but have succeeded in part of the critical infrastructure”, Rama said.

While Hoxha said that the <x0-fact that managed to breach the country's technological infrastructure means we should be very attentive”.

He said this issue has been raised in NATO and Albania has received assurances that it is not alone.

Hoxha stressed that Albania supports collective security foreign policy and ranks a US side for halting Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programme.

Relations between Iran and Albania are tense and virtually frozen since Albania offered MEK members a safe haven over a decade ago.

Iranian cyberattacks from 2022, which Albania believes are revenge for the shelter of Iranian dissidents, prompted the Albanian government to suspend diplomatic relations with Iran.

The responsibility for the March 9th attack took over a group of hackers, identified as Homeland Justice, who highlighted in his account on the telegram that “will not let MEK terrorists sleep peacefully at any moment”.

MEK, or Mojahedin-e-Khalq, is the Iranian opposition group that is also known as Iran's Mujahedine People's Organisation and has been sheltered in affluent Albania.

Homeland Justice is a Russian-wide website that appeared prior to cyber attacks on the state-run e-Albania portal in mid-July 2022.

According to Microsoft analysis, behind the website lies a group linked to the Iranian Government, which is responsible for the cyberattack. / REL/