Breaking : Australia Expels Iranian Ambassador After ASIO Links Tehran to Anti-Semitic Attacks
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday announced the expulsion of Iran’s ambassador and the suspension of Australia’s embassy in Tehran after intelligence agencies concluded the Iranian government orchestrated a series of anti-Semitic attacks on Australian soil.
Albanese said Australia’s domestic spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), had gathered credible intelligence linking Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to at least two attacks against Jewish targets: the firebombing of Lewes Continental Kitchen in Sydney on Oct. 20, 2023, and the attack on the Adas Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on Dec. 6, 2023.
“These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” Albanese said. “They were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community. It is totally unacceptable, and the Australian government is taking strong and decisive action in response.”
Iranian Ambassador Expelled
The Iranian ambassador and three other officials were declared persona non grata and given seven days to leave Australia. Albanese said operations at Australia’s embassy in Tehran had been suspended and all diplomats relocated to a third country.
“This is the first time in the post-war period that Australia has expelled an ambassador,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. “Iran’s actions are completely unacceptable. We will always safeguard our communities and protect Australians from all forms of hate.”
Wong urged Australians in Iran to leave immediately, citing the risk of reprisals. “If you are an Australian in Iran, leave now if it is safe to do so,” she said
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IRGC to Be Listed as Terrorist Group
Albanese also confirmed his government will legislate to formally designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization under Australia’s Criminal Code.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the move reflected the gravity of the threat. “This extraordinary attack which occurred on our soil means we have to adapt our response to the changing threat,” Burke said. “Any attack based in any dehumanising bigotry is an attack on Australia.”
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ASIO Findings
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said investigations traced the Australian attacks to commanders within the IRGC, who used “a complex web of proxies” including criminal intermediaries to conceal their role.
“Our painstaking investigation uncovered and unpicked the links between the alleged crimes and the commanders in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Burgess said. “Iran and its proxies literally and figuratively lit the matches and fanned the flames.”
Burgess stressed, however, that Iranian diplomats in Australia were not involved. “The embassy was not involved. This was directed by the IRGC through a series of overseas cutouts that found their way to tasking Australians,” he said.
Community Impact
Burke said that while no one was physically injured, the Jewish community had been deeply harmed. “The community of the Adas Israel Synagogue was harmed. The community that shocked at the Lewes Continental Kitchen and the owners were harmed. Australia was attacked and Australia was harmed,” he said.
He added that the attacks emboldened anti-Semitic groups within Australia. “Any anti-Semitic attack, in fact any attack based in any dehumanising bigotry, is an attack on Australia,” Burke said.
Ongoing Investigations
Burgess said ASIO continues to investigate other possible Iranian-directed incidents. He declined to comment on individuals under investigation but said the operation relied on “a layer cake of cutouts” that included elements of organized crime abroad.
“These matters are hard, and it’s taken us this long to have the evidence to actually know that the Iranians directed these attacks,” Burgess said.
When asked if the threat was ongoing, Burgess replied: “We and the police are open to the possibility that could occur and we’re doing our best to get it before it stops. Of course, we’re not all-seeing and all-knowing.”
Israeli Criticism
Reporters asked Albanese about criticism from Israel’s government, which had accused his administration of failing to protect Jewish Australians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said Albanese had “abandoned Australian Jews.”
Albanese dismissed the remarks. “I’m not interested in personal issues. What I’m interested in is making a difference, making a difference for Australia’s social cohesion, adopting a position which is principled and in line with what Australians want to see,” he said.
ASIO has investigated dozens of anti-Semitic incidents since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel triggered global unrest. While many protests in Australia were peaceful, authorities noted a rise in intimidation and targeted actions against Jewish businesses, synagogues and community leaders.
“Iran started the first of those, but not all of those are directed by Iran in our view,” Burgess said. “This is particularly unique to Australia in terms of having a crack at our social cohesion.”
Travel and Consular Advice
Wong reiterated that Australians have been advised against traveling to Iran since 2020, and consular support remains extremely limited. “Our ability to provide consular assistance is extremely limited. I urge any Australian who might be considering traveling to Iran — please do not do so,” she said.
Albanese said the government acted swiftly to remove embassy staff from Tehran once the intelligence assessment was confirmed. “We put in place measures, including the safe removal of all of our staff from the Tehran embassy, in order to ensure that they were kept safe,” he said.
National Unity
Albanese concluded by urging Australians to resist division. “We want the killing in the Middle East to stop and we want to retain our character as a nation that welcomes people of different race, religion, views, united by respect for each other’s humanity and our collective desire to live in peace,” he said.
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