The Albanian ministry of foreign affairs announced that they have expelled the Iranian ambassador from Tirana, the capital of Albania.

There had been previous reports of Albania expelling two Iranian diplomats for violating international diplomatic regulations and undermining national security, but the reports did not mention the position of the diplomats.

According to an Albanian TV channel, these two diplomats were expelled due to their connection to a terrorist operation during a soccer match between the Albanian and Israeli national teams.

The soccer match was held in November 2016 under heavy security measures, and 20 were arrested afterward by the security forces.

Mike Pompeo and John Bolton both announced their support of Albanian government’s action on their Twitter accounts.

In recent months, several Islamic Republic diplomats have been arrested in different European countries for their roles in terrorist plots. In July, Belgium announced that they have arrested an Iranian diplomat in connection to the bombing plot of MKO rally. In the same month, Netherlands expelled two Iranian diplomats, and in October, France also expelled an Iranian diplomat for the same terrorist plot in Belgium.

Scandinavian countries and Denmark have also condemned the Islamic Republic for its terrorist plans in Denmark.