Australia has expelled the Iranian ambassador and suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran after accusing the Islamic Republic of masterminding major antisemitic arson attacks on its soil. In a press conference on Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the government will also move to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, calling the attacks "extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression" intended to sow discord.
Citing a report from the Jerusalem Post, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) confirmed it had gathered intelligence linking the IRGC to at least two incidents: the firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne on December 6, 2024, and an arson attack on a kosher kitchen in Sydney last October. ASIO officials revealed that the IRGC utilized a complex network of proxies, including elements of organized crime, to execute the attacks while concealing its direct involvement.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong declared the ambassador and three other diplomats persona non grata, giving them seven days to leave the country in a move she said was the first of its kind since World War II. The government also urged Australians to leave Iran immediately. The decision was welcomed by Australian Jewish community groups, who felt vindicated after what one organization called a "summer of terror." The political opposition also supported the measures, noting they had called for the IRGC's proscription for over two years. Wong stressed the government's aim was "to lower the temperature in Australia, and not to reproduce the conflict in the Middle East in Australia."
Photo: Archive, Mehr