TIRANA: Albania has ordered the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats for “activities that go against their status,” the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, in the latest breakdown of ties between the two countries.
Tirana had already kicked out Iran’s ambassador and another diplomat in 2018 after accusing them of threatening national security.
The foreign ministry did not specify the reason for the latest expulsions, which come after the chief of Iran’s Quds force, Qasem Soleimani, was killed by an American drone strike earlier this month, ratcheting up tensions around the globe.
“The two diplomatic representatives of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Albania, Mohammad Ali Arz Peimanemati and Seyed Ahmad Hosseini Alast, are declared persona non grata and Albanian authorities have asked them to leave Albania immediately,” the statement said.
The move comes several months after authorities announced in October 2019 that they had thwarted an attack planned by a “terrorist cell” run by Quds.
At the time, Albanian authorities said the cell was planning to attack opponents of the Tehran regime who are based in the Balkan country.
In 2013, Albania agreed to take in some 3,000 members of the exiled Iranian opposition group the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK) at the request of Washington and the United Nations.
They currently live in a compound in the northwest of the country.
Albania, host of Iranian dissident camp, expels two Iranian diplomats
https://arab.news/9xnh3
Albania, host of Iranian dissident camp, expels two Iranian diplomats
- Tirana had already kicked out Iran’s ambassador and another diplomat in 2018 after accusing them of threatening national security
- In 2013, Albania agreed to take in some 3,000 members of the exiled Iranian opposition group the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK)
Pull him off TV: Steve Bannon shuts down Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Trump’s former chief strategist called for the senator to be registered as a foreign agent
DUBAI: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called on Tuesday for US Sen. Lindsey Graham to be registered as a foreign agent of the Israeli government, escalating a growing conservative backlash against the senator’s vocal support for Israel.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room,” Bannon said Graham should be “pulled off of television.”
“This is dangerous … because you have guys like Lindsey Graham and dozens more that are doing the wrong thing,” said Bannon.
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Graham said: “To all the antisemites, to all the isolationists … I’m not with you, I’m with Israel, I will be with Israel to our dying day.”
Graham also urged Gulf Arab states to join military action against Iran. “What I want you to do in the Middle East, to our friends in Saudi Arabia and other places, (is) step forward and say ‘this is my fight too, I join America, I’m publicly involved in bringing this regime down,’” he said.
In a post on X, Graham questioned the value of a US defense agreement with Saudi Arabia following the evacuation of the American Embassy in Riyadh, writing: “Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
Faisal J. Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, responded to Graham’s comments in a Sky News interview, saying: “He flip flops so much, it’s actually entertaining.”
“On one hand, he says he will never set foot in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he’s here signing multimillion-dollar deals.”
“I don’t think anyone here takes him seriously,” Abbas added.
He warned Graham to be careful what he wished for: “Do you really want Saudi Arabia involved in this war putting our oil facilities at risk or do you want us stabilizing the energy markets?”
Graham pressed further, warning that inaction would carry a price. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?”
“Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow.”
The American Embassy is being evacuated in Riyadh because of sustained attacks by Iran against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 9, 2026
It is my understanding the Kingdom refuses to use their capable military as a part of an effort to end the barbaric and terrorist Iranian regime who has…
Graham’s remarks drew sharp criticism from Bannon and others including podcast host Megyn Kelly.
She questioned on X whether Graham was overstepping his authority as a senator, writing: “When did Lindsey Graham become our president?”
Kelly also said Graham had threatened Lebanon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, and Spain within a 24-hour period.
When did Lindsay Graham become our president? In the past 24 hours he’s threatened Lebanon, Cuba, the Saudis, the wider Arab region and now - checks notes - Spain https://t.co/h53EuFJRyQ
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) March 10, 2026
The problem with Graham “isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him,” she said in another post.
Let’s get real. The problem with Lindsay Graham isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him, and Trump’s favorite channel is parading him around like a Hefner bunny in stockings on every show.
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) March 10, 2026
