Australia Expels Iranian Ambassador as Turnbull Backs Terror Listing, Warns on AUKUS Risks
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Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has endorsed the Albanese government’s decision to expel Iran’s ambassador and designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation after intelligence agencies concluded Tehran orchestrated firebombing attacks on Jewish sites in Sydney and Melbourne.
Turnbull told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing the move was the right response to “breathtaking” foreign interference that threatened Australia’s social cohesion.
“These are the right decisions,” Turnbull said. “I want to congratulate ASIO and its officers and the AFP for this successful investigation and the government for taking the prompt and correct action in expelling the Iranian ambassador.”
Attacks Linked to Iran
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) said the IRGC was behind attacks on the Adas Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and the Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney. Director-General Mike Burgess said investigators did not believe Iran was responsible for all acts of antisemitism in Australia but stressed the attacks placed lives at risk.
“Iran and its proxies literally and figuratively lit the matches and fanned the flames,” Burgess said.
Turnbull said the revelations underscored the threat posed by foreign regimes intent on importing conflicts from overseas.
“We’ve got basically a foreign government intervening into our own social cohesion,” he said. “What you’ve got is a foreign actor, the Iranian revolutionary leadership, seeking to disturb the harmony of Australia in perpetrating these antisemitic acts, these terrible crimes. In doing so, they are trying to divide Australians and terrorise the Jewish community.”
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Bipartisan Support
Turnbull said the government’s handling of the case had won rare bipartisan endorsement.
“Some people have criticised the government for not doing enough to counter antisemitism, and this is an example of them doing exactly what they should do,” he said. “That’s why the opposition, not known for giving bouquets to the government, has endorsed what Albanese has done unequivocally.”
Warning Against Imported Conflicts
The former prime minister urged Australians not to allow divisions from the Middle East to spill over into domestic politics.
“It is vital that we do not import these conflicts from the Middle East into Australia,” Turnbull said. “By and large, we’ve been very successful in doing that. We are a harmonious multicultural society. We disagree on many things, but Australians do not engage in this kind of sectarian violence.”
Palestinian Statehood Recognition
Turnbull also addressed Australia’s recent recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, a move that has divided public opinion.
“There are very good arguments for not recognising Palestine as a state, regardless of what you think about the cause of the Palestinians,” he said. “They clearly do deserve a state of their own, and they do deserve to be protected from the violence that they’re suffering.”
He said Australia’s decision aligned it with most countries at the UN.
“Most countries in the world have recognised Palestine, and now Australia is joining them,” he said. “It is a sign of solidarity for the Palestinian people, a way of saying we believe you are entitled to a state of your own and we believe in the two-state solution.”
Turnbull cautioned, however, that Israeli policy had shifted against such a resolution. “We’re in a very curious position where the bulk of the world is saying the solution is a two-state solution, and the Israeli government is saying, no, that is not realistic,” he said.
Concerns Over AUKUS
Turnbull also criticised the state of the AUKUS submarine pact, citing a report from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) that questioned its viability.
“This report confirms the concerns I’ve been expressing for some years now,” Turnbull said. “The Americans will not be able to spare any Virginia-class submarines because they’re not producing enough, and their Navy doesn’t have enough submarines.”
He said AUKUS’s second pillar — designed to foster advanced technology sharing — had failed to deliver. “The report makes it clear that AUKUS Pillar 2 is achieving nothing at the moment,” Turnbull said. “None of the three countries have been funding it. It’s been criticised as essentially involving a bunch of science experiments.”
Turnbull said the pact risked leaving Australia with “less sovereignty and less security.”
Zero Tolerance
Turnbull said the government had set the right tone by responding decisively to Iran’s actions.
“We have to have zero tolerance for this,” he said. “The government is doing exactly what it should be doing.”
He said the Iranian-directed attacks were “pretty breathtaking stuff” but that Australia had shown it would defend its sovereignty.
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