Australia has expelled Iran’s ambassador and closed its embassy in Tehran after intelligence agencies uncovered “credible” evidence that the Islamic Republic orchestrated antisemitic attacks on Jewish sites across the country.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the unprecedented diplomatic action on Tuesday, marking the first time Australia has expelled a foreign ambassador since World War II.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) determined that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed at least two arson attacks: the October 20 assault on Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney and the devastating December 6 firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne.
‘Extraordinary acts of aggression’
Standing alongside ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Albanese condemned what he called “extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil.”
“These were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community,” the Prime Minister declared. “It is totally unacceptable, and the Australian government is taking strong and decisive action in response.”
Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and three diplomatic staff have been given seven days to leave Australia. The government will also legislate to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, joining other Western nations in designating the elite military force.
ASIO chief Burgess revealed the attacks involved a “layer cake of cut-outs” between the IRGC commanders and those who carried out the assaults, with the Iranian forces using “a complex web of proxies to hide its involvement.”
Iran threatens ‘reciprocal reaction’
Tehran swiftly rejected the allegations, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei dismissing the expulsion as “tied to Australia’s internal affairs” whilst insisting that “antisemitism has no place in our culture, history or religion.”
Baghaei warned that “any inappropriate and unjustified action on a diplomatic level will have a reciprocal reaction,” suggesting Iran was considering retaliatory measures against Australian interests.
The spokesperson claimed Australia’s actions were “influenced by internal developments,” including widespread protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, attempting to deflect blame from Tehran’s alleged involvement in the attacks.
Embassy closure amid safety fears
Australia has suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran and evacuated all diplomatic staff to a third country. Foreign Minister Wong urged Australians in Iran to leave immediately, warning that Canberra’s ability to provide consular assistance was now “extremely limited.”
Our message is, if you are an Australian in Iran, leave now if it is safe to do so,” Wong emphasised, noting that travel warnings against visiting Iran had been in place since 2020.
The closure marks a significant escalation in diplomatic tensions between the two nations, with Australia maintaining only minimal diplomatic channels to advance Australian interests despite the embassy suspension.
Unprecedented surge in antisemitic attacks
The expulsions come as Australia grapples with an alarming rise in antisemitic incidents since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. According to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, antisemitic attacks quadrupled in 2024, with 2,062 incidents recorded compared to just 495 the previous year.
The December arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue shocked the nation, with worshippers forced to flee as flames engulfed the building. The attack destroyed holy books and caused extensive damage to the historic Orthodox synagogue in Melbourne’s Ripponlea suburb.
Just weeks earlier, Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, which had served kosher food to Sydney’s Jewish community for more than 50 years, was targeted in another arson attack that authorities now attribute to Iranian direction.
Criminal networks and paid attackers
ASIO’s investigation revealed that Iran used criminal networks to carry out the attacks, with Burgess confirming that intermediaries tapped into “people they know in the criminal world” to execute the assaults whilst maintaining plausible deniability.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb disclosed that some suspects arrested in connection with antisemitic attacks appeared to have been paid, though investigators have not yet identified the principals behind the payments.
“We can’t rule out that they’re only domestic, or that they might be international,” Webb told ABC Radio, as authorities investigate whether cryptocurrency was used to obscure payment trails.
Political pressure mounts
The diplomatic action follows intense criticism of the Albanese government’s response to rising antisemitism. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a scathing letter giving Australia until the Jewish new year of Rosh Hashanah to act decisively against antisemitic attacks.
Netanyahu had previously called Albanese “a weak politician who betrayed Israel” after the Australian leader announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state and criticised Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
The Israeli Embassy in Australia welcomed Tuesday’s announcement, particularly the terrorist designation for the IRGC. Iran’s regime is not only a threat to Jews or Israel, it endangers the entire free world, including Australia,” the embassy stated.
Community fears persist
Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said confirmation of foreign interference was “terrifying” for the Jewish community, which remains anxious about ongoing threats.
“The acts themselves were horrific but now to have confirmation of something that many of us suspected there was a foreign interference element to this… it’s terrifying,” Ryvchin said.
Since October 2023, Australian Jews have faced an unprecedented wave of attacks including vandalism of homes and businesses, antisemitic graffiti on synagogues, physical assaults, and verbal abuse on streets.
Wider pattern of Iranian aggression
Iran has a documented history of targeting Jewish and Israeli institutions abroad, with attacks linked to Tehran in Sweden, Germany, Cyprus and other nations. The country’s Quds Force, the expeditionary arm of the IRGC, has been accused of using local militants and criminals to target dissidents and Jewish communities worldwide.
Australian authorities are investigating whether Iran was involved in additional antisemitic incidents beyond the two confirmed attacks, with ASIO assessing it “likely” that Tehran directed other assaults.
As investigations continue, with more than 166 reports of antisemitic attacks received since December alone, Australia’s Jewish community remains on high alert whilst diplomatic relations with Iran reach their lowest point in decades.
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Image Credit (Shortened)
Official portrait of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (cropped, 28 February 2022) – by Australian Government, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
