Australia Expels Iranian Ambassador Over Alleged Role in Anti-Semitic Arson Attacks

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the expulsion of Iran’s ambassador and the suspension of Australia’s embassy operations in Tehran after ASIO confirmed Iran was behind anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish targets in Melbourne and Sydney.

Albanese said the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) had gathered “credible intelligence” showing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed at least two attacks: the Oct. 20, 2024 arson incident at Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney, and the Dec. 6, 2024 firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne.

“ASIO has now gathered enough credible intelligence to reach a deeply disturbing conclusion that the Iranian government directed at least two of these attacks. Iran has sought to disguise its involvement,” Albanese said.

He called the incidents “extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” adding they were deliberate attempts “to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community.”

Diplomatic Fallout

In response, the government has expelled Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and declared three other Iranian officials persona non grata.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said they have seven days to leave Australia.

“This is the first time in the post-war period that Australia has expelled an ambassador, and we have made this decision because Iran’s actions are completely unacceptable,” Wong said.

She confirmed all Australian diplomats in Iran have been moved to a third country and warned citizens against travelling to Iran.

“Our message is, if you are an Australian in Iran, leave now if it is safe to do so,” Wong urged.

Australia’s embassy in Tehran, established in 1968, has suspended operations. Wong stressed that maintaining limited diplomatic lines would be necessary “to advance the interests of Australians,” but emphasised the embassy’s presence was never “an endorsement of the regime.”

IRGC to Be Listed as Terrorist Group

Albanese confirmed the government will list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation under the Criminal Code, describing the move as a strong and decisive response.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the attacks caused profound harm despite no casualties.

“The community of the Adass Israel Synagogue was harmed. The community at the Lewis Continental Kitchen and the owners were harmed. The Jewish community were harmed. Other communities who were blamed were harmed. But simply, Australia was attacked and Australia was harmed,” Burke said.

He added the new listing “sends the strongest possible signal that this conduct has reached a new and totally unacceptable low.”

ASIO’s Findings

ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said anti-Semitism had become “one of ASIO’s most pressing priorities” over the past 10 months.

The agency, he said, had “unpicked the links between the alleged crimes and the commanders in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”

Burgess explained the IRGC relied on a network of proxies to conceal its role.

“This is the sort of obfuscation and boundary blurring I warned about earlier this year,” he said.

He emphasised the significance of the findings: “Formal assessments such as this one are not done quickly or taken lightly. Our analysts carefully weigh every piece of intelligence. In this case, their conclusions are clear.”

ASIO continues to investigate possible Iranian involvement in other incidents.

“Iran’s actions are utterly unacceptable. They put lives at risk. They terrified the community, and they tore at our social fabric. Iran and its proxies literally and figuratively lit the matches and fanned the flames,” Burgess said.

Israel’s Embassy Backs Move

The Israeli Embassy in Australia welcomed the decision.

“We welcome Australia’s decision to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. This is a step we have long advocated for,” the embassy wrote in a statement.

“Iran’s regime is not only a threat to Jews or Israel, it endangers the entire free world, including Australia. A strong and important move.”

Albanese’s Warning to Tehran

Albanese said Iran’s actions were part of an effort to bring Middle East conflicts into Australia.

“They have sought to harm and terrify Jewish Australians and to sow hatred and division in our community,” he said.

“The actions of my government send a clear message, a message to all Australians that we stand against anti-Semitism and we stand against violence, and a message to nations like Iran who seek to interfere in our country that your aggression will not be tolerated.”

Wong said in October 2024 the Albanese government imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on five senior Iranian officials linked to Tehran’s missile program, citing threats to global security.

The move followed Iran’s Oct. 1 launch of more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel and the supply of missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

Those sanctioned include directors from Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization and two state-linked industrial groups.

In total Australia has sanctioned 200 Iran-linked individuals and entities, nearly half tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in coordination with partners including the U.S. and the UK.