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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
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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.

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Deadly Türkiye Hotel Fire Sparks Safety Concerns, Political Blame Game

A fire truck is seen in front of a hotel, following a deadly fire, in the ski resort of Kartalkaya, in Bolu, Turkey, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo
A fire truck is seen in front of a hotel, following a deadly fire, in the ski resort of Kartalkaya, in Bolu, Turkey, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo
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Deadly Türkiye Hotel Fire Sparks Safety Concerns, Political Blame Game

A fire truck is seen in front of a hotel, following a deadly fire, in the ski resort of Kartalkaya, in Bolu, Turkey, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo
A fire truck is seen in front of a hotel, following a deadly fire, in the ski resort of Kartalkaya, in Bolu, Turkey, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

Outrage over alleged safety failures at a 12-storey hotel in Türkiye has escalated into a political clash between the government and the opposition-run local authorities, after a fire killed 79 people and injured more than 50, Reuters reported.

The tragedy sparked calls for accountability and reform, and independent experts have said the Grand Kartal Hotel, at the Kartalkaya ski resort in western Türkiye, lacked basic fire safety measures.

Survivors described chaos as they navigated smoke-filled corridors in darkness. Some said there were no alarms, sprinkler systems or visible fire escapes. Some were forced to leap from windows to escape and several died that way.

Authorities detained 11 people, including the hotel's owner, manager, a deputy mayor of Bolu province, and the head of the local fire department as part of a probe. The hotel's management pledged full cooperation and President Tayyip Erdogan vowed accountability.

Bolu's opposition-run municipality and the national tourism ministry blamed each other for a lack of fire safety measures, with each arguing it was the other's responsibility.

"All these people would not have died if the deficiencies we mentioned in (the fire) inspection had been addressed," Tanju Ozcan, mayor of the nearby Bolu municipality, told broadcaster Halk TV.

Ozcan said the hotel's owners had applied for a fire safety permit in December but withdrew the application after failing to meet eight out of nine required criteria. Instead the hotel, he said, got a substitute safety report from a private auditing company, which is allowed by law.

Ozcan added that due to the ministry's jurisdiction, the municipality could not take further action.

"While the municipality was waiting for the deficiencies to be corrected, the hotel withdrew the request because they did not want to meet these costs and applied to another company. Authorization was given to a company authorized by the ministry," the mayor said.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the property was inspected in 2021 and 2024 with no safety issues flagged. He said the fire department was responsible for regular inspections and certifications and added that no issues had been reported to date.

Ozcan said his municipality had no jurisdiction over the hotel, which lies outside city boundaries and in a designated tourism area. The municipality's last fire safety certification was dated 2007 and subsequent inspections were the ministry's responsibility, he said.

The tourism ministry said the hotel held a valid fire competence certificate.

The blaze erupted in the early hours of Tuesday at the hotel packed with 238 guests, including families on winter holiday, at the mountaintop facility.

Erol Percin, Bolu representative of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, called for reform in safety regulations and criticised what he called vague language in current laws.

"Our legislation does not refer to these norms. It is only vaguely stated that 'guest and employee safety must be ensured,'" he said, urging stricter rules.