Iran Strongly Condemns US Sanctions Over Albania Hacking

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
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Iran Strongly Condemns US Sanctions Over Albania Hacking

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Iran on Saturday strongly condemned a US decision to impose sanctions on its intelligence ministry, blamed for a major cyber attack on NATO ally Albania.

Albania severed diplomatic ties with Iran on Wednesday after accusing it of the July 15 cyber attack that sought, but failed, to paralyze public services and access data and government communications systems.

In response on Friday, the United States slapped sanctions on Iran's intelligence ministry and its minister Esmail Khatib, saying the attack "disregards norms of responsible peacetime state behavior in cyberspace".

On Saturday, AFP quoted Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani as saying: "The ministry of foreign affairs strongly condemns the action of the US treasury department in repeatedly sanctioning the ministry of intelligence of the Islamic republic.

"America's immediate support for the false accusation of the Albanian government... shows that the designer of this scenario is not the latter, but the American government," he added in a statement.

Kanani accused the US of "giving full support to a terrorist sect", referring to the opposition People's Mujahedeen of Iran, or Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK), members of which are hosted by Albania.

Albania agreed in 2013 to take in members of the MEK from Iraq at the request of Washington and the United Nations, with thousands settling in the Balkan country over the years.

"This criminal organization continues to play a role as one of America's tools in perpetrating terrorist acts, cyber attacks" against Iran, the statement added.

The MEK backed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the 1979 revolution that ousted the shah but rapidly fell out with the new Islamic authorities and embarked on a campaign to overthrow the regime.

The MEK then sided with Iraq under Saddam Hussein in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.



Cyprus Arrests Individual on Suspicion of Terror-Related Plot, Police Say

Armed members of Cyprus' police force stand guard as Israeli passengers heading for Israel's port city of Haifa line up to check in at Larnaca International airport in Cyprus, 20 June 2025. (EPA)
Armed members of Cyprus' police force stand guard as Israeli passengers heading for Israel's port city of Haifa line up to check in at Larnaca International airport in Cyprus, 20 June 2025. (EPA)
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Cyprus Arrests Individual on Suspicion of Terror-Related Plot, Police Say

Armed members of Cyprus' police force stand guard as Israeli passengers heading for Israel's port city of Haifa line up to check in at Larnaca International airport in Cyprus, 20 June 2025. (EPA)
Armed members of Cyprus' police force stand guard as Israeli passengers heading for Israel's port city of Haifa line up to check in at Larnaca International airport in Cyprus, 20 June 2025. (EPA)

Police in Cyprus have arrested an individual on suspicion of terror-related offences and espionage, authorities said on Saturday.

The individual appeared before a district court on Saturday, which ordered an eight-day detention pending inquiries. No further details would be issued, police said, citing national security.

Several Cypriot news outlets reported the suspect was a man of Azeri ethnic descent and had been arrested in the Zakaki suburb of the coastal city of Limassol.

The suspect was thought to have had a British RAF military base in nearby Akrotiri under surveillance, as well as Cyprus's own Andreas Papandreou Air Base in the western region of Paphos since mid-April, Cyprus's ANT1 news portal reported.

Cyprus lies very close to the Middle East and has in recent days been used as a transit point for people either leaving or going to the region amid a conflict between regional foes Israel and Iran.

Terror-related offenses on the island are very rare.