Australia has expelled Iran’s ambassador, accusing Tehran of orchestrating two antisemitic arson attacks in Sydney and Melbourne, marking the country’s first diplomatic expulsion since World War Two.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said intelligence showed Iran was behind the attacks on a kosher restaurant in Sydney and a synagogue in Melbourne last year. No one was injured, but the incidents caused major damage and rattled Jewish communities.
“These were dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign government on Australian soil,” Albanese said. “They were designed to divide Australians and sow discord.”
Australia will also designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, joining the U.S. and Canada. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and three other Iranian officials had seven days to leave the country.
Iran Denies Role, Promises Response
Iran rejected the allegations, calling them politically motivated. A foreign ministry spokesperson said antisemitism had no place in Iranian culture and warned Tehran would respond to Canberra’s actions.
Australia has suspended operations at its Tehran embassy, with all diplomats relocated to a third country.
Criminal Proxies and Global Warnings
Mike Burgess, head of Australia’s intelligence agency, said the IRGC used organised crime groups to carry out its operations. “They’re using criminals and gang members as cut-outs to do their bidding,” he said.
Britain and Sweden issued similar warnings last year, with London saying it had disrupted 20 Iran-linked plots since 2022. Iran has denied all such claims, accusing Western powers of running a campaign against it.
Community Reactions
Jewish groups in Australia called the attacks an assault on national sovereignty. Daniel Aghian, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said: “These were deliberate attacks that destroyed a house of worship, caused millions in damage, and terrified our community.”
Israel’s embassy in Canberra praised the move. “Iran’s regime threatens not only Jews or Israel but the entire free world,” it said.
Iranian Australians also backed the decision. “We are really happy to see them go,” said Siamak Ghahreman of the Australian Iranian Community Organisation. Around 90,000 Iranian-born people live in Australia.
Police Investigations Continue
Two men have been charged over the December arson at Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue, a building founded by Holocaust survivors. Police say three people broke in and set the fire.
In Sydney, fire gutted Lewis Continental Kitchen, a kosher restaurant in Bondi. A man arrested in January was linked to a motorcycle gang, though he has denied the charges.
Rising Tensions at Home
The attacks come amid a sharp rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in Australia since the Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023. Jewish schools, homes, and synagogues have been vandalized, while the Islamophobia Register says reports of workplace and media abuse have surged 500 percent, with more than 1,500 cases logged.
Tensions have also spilled into politics. Earlier this month, Canberra formally recognised a Palestinian state, straining ties with Israel. Large pro-Palestinian rallies continue across Australia, drawing tens of thousands of protesters.
Palestinian authorities say more than 62,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive after the Hamas-led attack in October 2023. Aid groups warn the blockade is pushing the territory toward famine.
