June 23, 2025 – Tirana Albania has expressed unequivocal support for the United States following its militar.y strikes on three key nuclear sites in Iran, marking a rare moment of bipartisan consensus among the ruling Socialist majority and the opposition Democratic Party. Prime Minister Edi Rama and former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, political rivals in most matters, stood firmly behind Washington’s efforts to neutralize what they called an escalating nuclear threat from Tehran.
In a forceful statement issued Saturday, Rama denounced Iran’s regime as “an armed theocracy with apocalyptic rhetoric” and reaffirmed Albania’s commitment to standing by its strategic allies. “This is not a nuclear state like others, nor a typical dictatorship. It is a theocracy armed with a language that openly calls for the world’s destruction,” he declared. Rama reiterated that Albania proudly supports U.S. action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, echoed that sentiment, calling the U.S. airstrikes a “historic opportunity” for Iranians inside and outside the country to push for a democratic alternative to what he termed “a theocratic obscurantist dictatorship.”
Albania’s position is grounded not only in its NATO membership and pro-Western alignment but also in its recent history of confrontation with Tehran. In September 2022, Albania severed diplomatic relations with Iran after a series of cyberattacks allegedly orchestrated by Iranian state actors. Prime Minister Rama at the time accused Iran of attempting to paralyze Albanian public services and destabilize the country by erasing data, hacking state communications, and spreading chaos.
“The decision to expel Iranian diplomats was an extreme measure, but fully proportionate,” Rama said then, citing “indisputable evidence” from a joint investigation with U.S. cybersecurity agencies.
The breach, believed to have been conducted by four Iranian-linked hacker groups, was widely interpreted as retaliation for Albania’s decision to host members of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), an exiled opposition group long at odds with the Iranian regime. The move drew praise from Washington, with the White House calling it “an unprecedented act of cyber aggression” and pledging to hold Tehran accountable.
Tehran, for its part, decried the rupture of relations as a “gratuitous and hasty” move dictated by Washington. Iranian media accused Albania of taking orders from the U.S. and warned that hosting MEK—an organization implicated by Tehran in the assassination of thousands of Iranians—was a provocation. Nonetheless, Albania’s position has remained firm, citing national security interests and its obligations as a NATO ally.
This fraught backdrop helps explain the depth of Tirana’s current alignment with Washington. The recent cyberattack on Tirana Municipality in June 2025, claimed by an Iran-affiliated group known as “Homeland Justice,” further reinforced Albania’s perception of Tehran as an ongoing threat. The attack disabled key public systems and interrupted services for thousands of families, underscoring the country’s vulnerability to foreign interference.
In the broader regional context, Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti publicly supported the U.S. strikes, stating that “the international community needs fewer nuclear bombs, not more.” He described the U.S. as Kosovo’s irreplaceable ally and stressed that nuclear proliferation by authoritarian regimes presents a grave global threat.
North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Timčo Mucunski offered a more calibrated position, expressing “firm opposition to nuclear proliferation” and support for diplomacy backed by deterrence. Montenegro, in contrast, has yet to issue an official statement, and both ruling and opposition parties there have remained silent.
Reactions from Europe and the Middle East have been more cautious, with the EU and NATO calling for de-escalation, while several Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, warned of “catastrophic consequences” if the confrontation deepens.
For Albania, however, the stakes are both symbolic and strategic. The country has emerged as one of Washington’s most dependable allies in the Balkans, embracing a foreign policy built on Euro-Atlantic integration and democratic alignment. Support for the U.S. in the Iran standoff is not only a reflection of Albania’s strategic positioning, but a direct response to the hostile actions Tirana believes it has suffered at Tehran’s hands.
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