The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman dismissed the anti-Iran claims made by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and urged him to heed the domestic public anger amid ongoing protests in Tirana.

In a post on his X account on Tuesday, Esmaeil Baghaei responded to repeated accusations by the Albanian prime minister against Iran, rejecting the claims and criticizing Rama for deflecting internal criticism onto external actors amid growing street demonstrations in the Albanian capital, The Caspian Post reports, citing Mehr news.

“Calm down, Mr. prime minister Edi Rama. It was YOU, sir, who started this. So...you should 'face the music'!” he underlined.

“It would be wiser to show some respect for the intelligence and judgment of your own people, as a nation of rich culture and proud history. They are perceptive enough to distinguish truth from falsehood. If you choose to sell your national sovereignty, that is your decision. You do not owe us an explanation. But when confronted by the outrage and criticism of your own public, please do not use others as a convenient scapegoat to evade accountability. Instead of writing a lengthy pamphlet filled with hackneyed baseless accusations against Iran, take a moment to listen to your own people who are chanting in the streets: ‘Jo korrupsionit!’ (No to corruption!), ‘Duam drejtësi!’ (We want justice!), ‘Rama ik!’ (Leave Rama!),” the Iranian spokesman said.

His comments came after the Albanian prime minister, through a post on the X platform, accused Iran of showing hostility towards freedom.