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.