Kosovo and North Macedonia join support for Washington.
Tirana Times, February 28, 2026 – Albania threw its support behind U.S. strikes on Iran on Friday, with Prime Minister Edi Rama declaring that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps should be officially designated a terrorist organization and saying Tirana would move to list it as such, citing Albania’s own experience with Iranian-linked cyberattacks and its national security concerns.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a terrorist organization and it must be treated as such. Not only through sanctions against the Khomeinist Republic, but by officially calling it by its true name and listing it among terrorist organizations, as the United States and Canada have already done,” Rama said in a public statement issued after the strikes.
Rama tied Albania’s stance to several layers of alignment and condemnation, while arguing that the moment called for actions rather than words. “Not only because we stand firm with Israel and with the peace-seeking brotherly Arab countries. Not only because we support the United States in militarily supporting Israel today under the leadership of President Donald Trump. Not only because the European Union, through President Ursula von der Leyen, has once again underlined today the murderous nature of the Tehran regime,” he said.
“But first and foremost, on a day like this, when acts, not just words, are required, in honoring the endless innocent victims of the bloody Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Rama added.
Albania’s relationship with Iran has been openly hostile since Tirana cut diplomatic ties and expelled Iranian diplomats after major cyberattacks that Albanian authorities blamed on Iran or groups linked to Tehran. Rama returned to that point on Friday, portraying the crisis as more than distant geopolitics for his country.
“Albania has faced firsthand the barbaric face of the Tehran regime through its cyber aggressions against our country. For us, this is not abstract geopolitics. It is national security, moral and legal clarity,” he said.
He then signaled specific steps Albania intends to take and urged European governments to follow. “Albania will act accordingly. We will call the Revolutionary Guard what it is and list it among terrorist organizations, and we call upon our European friends to do the same,” Rama said.
Rama also endorsed what he described as decisive efforts to prevent Iran from developing military capabilities that could threaten Israel or other states in the Middle East. “We fully endorse every decisive effort to prevent once and for all the murderers in Tehran from acquiring nuclear or any other military capacity to harm Israel or any other peace-loving nation in the Middle East. Terrorism must be named. And once named, it must be stopped,” he said.
Former Albanian deputy prime minister Genc Pollo, now a senior associate researcher at the Albanian Institute for International Studies, said the operation was aimed at a regime he described as threatening well beyond the region. “The United States and Israel this morning began an aerial combat operation against the hostile Ayatollah regime in Iran,” Pollo said. “This regime threatens not only Israel, America and the Middle East, but also Europe; it threatens Albania as well, and it has shown this in past years.” “I hope the operation will be successful and will result in a free, democratic and peaceful Iran, as well as in a Middle East more stabilized than it was,” he added.
The Albanian statements came as the region tracked rapid developments after the U.S. and Israel struck targets across Iran early Friday, prompting retaliatory launches and heightening fears of a wider conflict. The violence disrupted air travel across parts of the Middle East and triggered a wave of international diplomatic reactions.
Saudi Arabia issues dual condemnation and warns of consequences
Saudi Arabia, a central actor in Gulf security and a leading power in the Arab and Muslim worlds, issued two sharply worded statements condemning Iranian attacks and warning of broader consequences.
In the first statement, the Kingdom said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns and denounces in strongest terms the blatant Iranian aggression and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan. The Kingdom affirms its full solidarity with and unwavering support for the brotherly countries, and its readiness to place all its capabilities at their disposal in support of any measures they may undertake. It also warns of the grave consequences resulting from the continued violation of states’ sovereignty and the principles of international law.”
In a second statement, the Kingdom said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its rejection and condemnation in the strongest terms of the blatant and cowardly Iranian attacks that targeted the Riyadh Region and the Eastern Province, which were successfully intercepted. These attacks cannot be justified under any pretext or in any way whatsoever, and they came despite the Iranian authorities’ knowledge that the Kingdom had affirmed it would not allow its airspace or territory to be used to target Iran.”
Kosovo and North Macedonia line up behind the U.S.
In the Western Balkans, U.S. allies also moved quickly to publicly endorse Washington’s actions. Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani issued a strong statement of support that framed the strikes as a turning point for Iran’s population and reaffirmed Kosovo’s alignment with the United States and its partners.
“The hour of freedom has come for the people of Iran, thanks to the leadership of the United States and President @realDonaldTrump. As always, the Republic of Kosovo unwaveringly stands with the United States and its allies in defending freedom, peace, security, and stability. We also strongly condemn the attacks of the Iranian regime against our allies in the Middle East. We will continue to support the actions undertaken by the United States and other allies to put an end to the Iranian regime and finally give freedom and peace a chance,” Osmani said.
Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora issued its own full statement, describing Iran as a destabilizing force and backing Washington’s approach. “The United States of America has launched a military attack on the Ayatollahs’ regime in Iran, a regime that for decades has oppressed its own people, destabilized the region, and threatened international peace and security,” the ministry said.
“We stand with President Donald Trump in his effort to deter regimes that threaten free peoples, to protect global stability, and to support the legitimate aspirations of the Iranian people for freedom, dignity, and democracy,” it added.
The statement concluded with a broader warning about regimes it said rely on oppression and violence. “Regimes that oppress their citizens, that support violence against democratic countries, and that threaten other peoples cannot be a factor of peace,” the ministry said.
North Macedonia’s foreign minister, Timčo Mucunski, also publicly backed the United States, while emphasizing diplomacy and deterrence and expressing solidarity with Gulf partners. “We stand with our American allies in confronting destabilizing threats in the Middle East,” he said.
“The United States has made clear that diplomacy is always the first option – but deterrence remains essential when credible risks persist. Security, stability, and accountability go hand in hand,” Mucunski added.
He said North Macedonia’s embassies and consular teams in the region were working to support citizens and provide assistance, and condemned Iranian attacks on Gulf states. “We also reaffirm our full solidarity with our partners in the Gulf. Attacks against GCC countries by Iran are unacceptable and risk wider regional escalation,” he said.
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