Tehran: Washington Masterminding Crisis Between Iran, Albania

On Friday, the United States imposed sanctions on Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and its minister, accusing them of being engaged in the July cyberattack against Albania.

Later in the day, Kana’ani said the new label for sanctions, similar to US previous unlawful sanctions against the Intelligence Ministry, will never be able to even slightly disrupt the resolve of the servants of the Iranian people’s security in this proud institution.

“America’s quick declaration of support for the baseless allegations of the Albanian government against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its swift ensuing move to place new sanctions on the Ministry and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Minister of Intelligence, under the same hollow and unproven allegations, clearly indicate that the mastermind of this scenario is not the Albanian government but the US administration, and that Tirana has fallen victim to the scenario devised by Washington against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he added.

The diplomat stated that, for years, the US has imposed the hosting of a marked terrorist cult on the Albanian government and nation and provided it with all-out support besides training and arming it in the field of cyberspace.

The spokesperson noted that this criminal organization has constantly served and still serves as a tool in the hands of America to carry out acts of terror, cyberattacks, and wage psychosocial war against the Iranian government and nation.

“Albanian government’s hosting of a terrorist cult and the US government’s move to instrumentalize the cult, which has the blood of over 17,000 Iranian civilians and statesmen on its hands, is a clear example of organized support for terrorism against the Iranian government and nation,” Kan’ani continued.

Washington restored its sanctions against Tehran after unilaterally leaving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The US, under former president Donald Trump, launched what it called a maximum pressure campaign against Iran at the time, targeting the Iranian nation with the “toughest ever” sanctions.

Iranian officials say the administration of President Joe Biden has yet done nothing but hollow promises to lift sanctions against Tehran. They blast the US addiction to sanctions, and slammed the POTUS for continuing his predecessor’s policy on Iran.

On Wednesday, Albania severed diplomatic ties with Iran, claiming Tehran has been behind a cyberattack against the country’s infrastructure.

Tehran has slammed Tirana’s decision as “shortsighted”, and termed allegations “baseless” and “unsubstantiated”, blamed it on “third parties”.

After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the MKO terrorist group began its enmity against Iran by killing thousands of Iranians and terrorist activities. Several members of the terrorist group and its leaders are living in European countries now, freely conducting terrorist activities.

The MKO terrorist group has martyred 17,161 Iranian citizens and officials, including late president Mohammad Ali Rajayee, former Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar, late Head of Supreme Judicial Council Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, late Deputy Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff Ali Sayyad Shirazi, and 27 legislators, as well as four nuclear scientists, some on itself and some others through collusion with Israeli Mossad and other notorious spy agencies like CIA.

The MKO is currently based in Albania, where it enjoys freedom of activity after being delisted by the European Union and the United States in 2009 and 2012, respectively.

The terror group regularly hosts big events in which top US and European officials make speeches in support of the group. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Advisor John Bolton, and former Vice President Mike Pence met with the terror group’s leader several times, voiced their support for the notorious cult.