Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hints at possible military action against Albania, which hosts an Iranian opposition group.
Military Warning
The Guard suggested that Albania, which has hosted Iranian opposition on its soil for over a decade, could be a target of Iranian retaliation, similar to Akrotiri – a British military base on Cyprus several days ago. By signaling a possible strike in Albania, the IRGC indicated that it has military capabilities to move operations far beyond the Middle East.
Opposition Group’s History
The origins of MEK date back to 1965, when socialist-minded students united in protests against the government of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and American presence in Iran. The organization initially supported Ruhollah Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution that overthrew the Shah in 1979, but after breaking with the ruling mullahs, it moved to neighboring Iraq, where it revised its attitude toward the revolution and found support from Saddam Hussein.
Exile in Albania
MEK found a haven in Albania in 2013, when the United States, supported by the UN, first removed the organization from its list of terrorist groups, then convinced the authorities in Tirana to provide them with safe shelter. Currently, in this Balkan country, in a base between Tirana and the coastal city of Durres, there are at least 3,000 Iranian exiles.
Diplomatic Escalation
But this hospitality meant for Albania a deterioration of relations with Iran. From year to year they became increasingly worse, until Tehran decided to attack. In 2022, Iranian hackers infiltrated the system of Albania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, forcing the country to close its airports and seaports. Tirana then severed diplomatic relations with Tehran, and Washington warned Iran that the next attack would trigger Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which stipulates that an armed attack on one or more members shall be considered an attack on the entire Alliance.
Continued Tensions
Iran refrained from further intrusions, but last year, the Fars news agency, managed by the IRGC, incited the government in Tehran to bomb MEK camps near Tirana with drones or ballistic missiles. And the recently killed in US airstrikes, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei repeatedly cursed Albania, calling it a “small, evil state”.
