Albanian authorities shut down a so-called cultural center of the Iranian regime in Tirana. January 23, 2020.

On Thursday, the Albanian government shuttered Saadi College in Tirana in its latest effort to fight the exportation of terrorism by the Iranian regime. The college and “cultural center” was headed by one of the two Iranian regime diplomats who were recently expelled from Albania.

The regime’s “cultural centers” around the world are well known as training grounds for fundamentalism and the exportation of terrorism.

Persona non-grata

The closure of Saadi College follows the recent expulsion of two Iranian regime diplomats from Albania. On January 15, 2020, the Albanian government released a statement announcing the decision. Local television station Top Channel reported the news:

“The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has decided that the representatives of the Iranian Islamic Republic in Albania, Mohammad Ali Arz Peimanemati and Seyed Ahmad Hosseini Alast, are declared ‘persona non-grata’ for conducting activities that go against their status and against the principles of the Vienna Convention for Diplomatic Relations.”

The terms used in justifying the expulsion have been used in the past to describe accusations of spying.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) applauded the expulsion of the regime diplomats as a  courageous and commendable step in combating terrorism and ensuring the security of the Albanian people and MEK Iran refugees who have been welcomed into Albania. She called on other countries to follow suit, adding:

“The Iranian regime’s representations are epicenters for espionage and terrorism. Most regime diplomats are either Intelligence Ministry agents or IRGC officers or have received training on terrorism and espionage to serve that purpose. With the Iranian people calling for the mullahs’ overthrow in the streets, it is particularly important to adopt a decisive policy vis-à-vis the regime’s terrorism and shut down its embassies in other countries, she underscored.”

Previous Terrorist Activities

This is not the first time Albania has expelled a regime diplomat from the country. Since Albania provided refuge to the MEK Iran, the Iranian regime has continuously targeted the country in attempts to eliminate its opposition. The regime uses its diplomats and its embassy to conduct surveillance and has resorted to terrorist plots against the MEK Iran.

On December 19, 2018, the Albanian government expelled Iranian regime Ambassador Gholamhossein Mohammadnia and Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) station chief Moutafa Roudaki from the country.

In March 2018, Albanian authorities foiled an attempted terrorist attack on a Nowruz (Persian New Year) celebration held by the MEK Iran and arrested the Iranian regime terrorists responsible for planning the attack. Attendees at the Nowruz event included Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, former New York Mayor Rudy Guliani, and a number of other political figures.

In October 2019 Albania’s chief of police revealed new information about the foiled bombing to the public, saying that the attack was in its final stages when it was uncovered and that police had stopped the bombing shortly before it was to have taken place.