Albania’s parliament adopted a resolution on March 17 declaring Iran a “terrorism sponsor state”, citing alleged support for armed groups and cyberattacks, in a vote boycotted by the opposition.

Ties between Tirana and Tehran have been strained for years. Albania hosts more than 2,000 Iranian dissidents from the Mujahedin-e-Khalq group, a factor widely seen as contributing to tensions. Tirana has been a firm supporter of US and Israeli action against Iran, 

Lawmakers approved the measure with 79 votes in favour, none against and one abstention, during an extraordinary session convened outside the chamber’s normal schedule.

The resolution, posted on Facebook by Albania’s parliament, states that “credible reports and international assessments have repeatedly documented the involvement of the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the financing, training, arming and management of non-state armed groups and organisations declared as terrorist entities in some regions”.

It further alleges that Iranian state institutions, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have supported and coordinated “activities that destabilise countries in the Middle East and beyond”.

Albanian lawmakers also pointed to cyber threats, noting that the country had been “the object of hostile actions in cyberspace, including the severe cyber attack on Albanian state institutions in 2022” as well as more recent attempts targeting parliamentary systems.

The resolution formally “declares the Islamic Republic of Iran as a Terrorism Sponsor State and as a state that uses terrorist tools in pursuit of its foreign policy objectives” and calls for stronger international coordination against what it described as state-sponsored terrorism.

It also urges the government to intensify cooperation with allies, support international accountability efforts and designate both the IRGC and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations.

Parliament speaker and Socialist MP Niko Peleshi confirmed the move, saying: “Today, at the plenary session, the Assembly of Albania adopted the Resolution ‘To declare the Islamic Republic of Iran as a state sponsoring terrorism and as a state that uses terrorist tools’.”

The vote was held without the participation of opposition Democratic Party lawmakers, who accused the government of breaching parliamentary rules.

Parliamentary group leader Gazment Bardhi said the opposition had decided not to attend what he called “an illegitimate session called in open contradiction to the assembly’s procedure”.

“This is not a normal parliamentary session, but a meeting called for the personal agenda of the prime minister and the speaker of the assembly,” Bardhi wrote on Facebook, adding that the chamber had become “a decor for government propaganda”.

In 2022, Albania severed diplomatic relations with Iran and expelled its diplomats following a large-scale cyberattack on government systems, which authorities attributed to Tehran. Since then, additional cyber incidents have targeted public infrastructure, including digital services and municipal systems.

The resolution noted Albania’s commitments as a Nato member and candidate for European Union membership, and reaffirms its “unwavering devotion to international peace, democratic values and the protection of civilians from acts of terror”.

It also calls on “democratic countries, international organisations and Albanian partners to review coordinated measures against state-sponsored terrorism and strengthen international cooperation” to address such threats.