The Prime Minister of Australia announced that after confirming the Iranian regime’s role in at least two antisemitic attacks, Australia expelled the regime’s ambassador, suspended the operations of its embassy in Tehran, and intends to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
On the morning of Tuesday, August 26, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Home Affairs, and the Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), attended a press conference at the country’s parliament and stated that the Iranian regime had directed at least two attacks against Australia’s Jewish community.
He described the two “terrorist attacks” on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne and the Louis Continental restaurant in Sydney as “extraordinary and dangerous aggressions” and said that the Iranian regime had likely carried out more attacks on Australian soil.
He called the Iranian regime’s terrorist actions an attempt to destroy social cohesion and sow division in Australian society, adding that his government would take immediate and decisive measures in response to these subversive acts.
The Australian Prime Minister also announced that Australia’s embassy in Tehran had been closed, and all Australian diplomats previously stationed there had now left Iran and were safe in a third country.
The Iranian regime’s ambassador is the first ambassador expelled from Australia since World War II.
The Australian Foreign Minister announced that Iranian regime officials have seven days to leave Australia.
Penny Wong said that there was no doubt these extraordinarily dangerous and aggressive actions had crossed all red lines, and therefore, Australia has declared the Iranian regime’s ambassador in Australia a persona non grata.
Wong added that this was the first time since World War II that an ambassador had been expelled from Australia, and the reason was Iran’s completely unacceptable conduct.
The Foreign Minister described Australia’s embassy in Iran as a channel for pursuing national interests and protecting Australian citizens but added that the government had now decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and suspend embassy operations in order to safeguard its diplomats and protect Australia’s border security.
Use of proxy groups for sabotage in Australia
Mike Burgess, Director-General of ASIO, said that the IRGC had used a “sophisticated network of proxy groups” to conceal its role in antisemitic attacks on Australian soil.
He added that he did not believe the Iranian regime was responsible for all antisemitic attacks in Australia but said it might be responsible for more than the two announced that day.
He also called the Iranian regime’s actions “completely unacceptable,” adding that they endangered lives, terrorized society, and targeted Australia’s social fabric. He said that the Iranian regime and its proxies, both literally and figuratively, lit the matches and stoked the flames.
In an interview with ABC Australia, the ASIO chief confirmed that the Iranian regime was among “at least three or four” countries involved in foreign interference in migrant communities in Australia.
The ASIO chief said that publicly naming all the countries interfering in Australia would shock the public.
He added that since a federal minister had already confirmed the Iranian regime’s involvement, Tehran’s role had become public.
Burgess did not name the other countries but warned that if the threat posed a serious danger to Australians, their names would be disclosed.
Last month, the Australian federal government unveiled plans to introduce several new measures to combat the growing threat of foreign interference.
These plans include making permanent the task force established four years ago to counter foreign interference, which has since expanded to agencies such as the Australian Taxation Office.
