Australia expels Iran ambassador over "antisemitic" attacks
Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador on Tuesday, accusing Tehran of orchestrating antisemitic arson attacks in Melbourne and Sydney. It is the first time since World War II that Australia has expelled an ambassador.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said intelligence services had reached the “deeply disturbing conclusion” that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard directed at least two attacks: an October 2024 firebombing of the Lewis Continental kosher café in Sydney’s Bondi suburb, and a December 2024 arson attack that gutted the Adass 'Israel' Synagogue in Melbourne. No injuries were reported.
“These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression 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.”
Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and three other Iranian officials were declared persona non grata and ordered to leave within seven days. Canberra has also withdrawn its own ambassador from Tehran and suspended embassy operations there.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong stressed this was the first ambassadorial expulsion in Australia’s post-war history. She warned Australians against traveling to Iran, citing “extremely limited” consular assistance, and urged those already there to leave if safe.
Spy chief Michael Burgess said a “painstaking” investigation uncovered links between the attacks and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which allegedly used a network of proxies to mask its involvement. He added the Guard was likely behind more than the two confirmed incidents.
“Iran’s actions are utterly unacceptable. They put lives at risk, terrified communities, and tore at our social fabric,” Burgess said. “Iran and its proxies, literally and figuratively, lit the matches and fanned the flames.”
Australia will also legislate to formally list the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation. 'Israel’s' embassy in Canberra welcomed the decision, calling it “a strong and important move.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the findings may bring some relief to the community but also deep concern: “We have been targeted in such a callous and calculated way, by a ruthless and violent foreign force, because of who we are.”
Iran’s embassy in Canberra did not immediately comment.
