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Australia has ordered Iran's ambassador and three other diplomats to leave the country, accusing Tehran of orchestrating arson attacks on Jewish sites in Sydney and Melbourne. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday the incidents were "extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression" designed to fracture social cohesion.
According to Australian intelligence, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed the October 2024 attack on the Lewis Continental Kitchen café in Sydney and the December firebombing of Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue, a house of worship built by Holocaust survivors. No injuries were reported, though worshippers were forced to flee the synagogue blaze.
Albanese confirmed that Australia would suspend operations at its Tehran embassy, designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, and maintain only minimal diplomatic contact. "We will not tolerate foreign powers exporting their conflicts to our shores," he said.
Mike Burgess, head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said investigators uncovered evidence that Iran used criminal networks and local proxies to conceal its involvement. "They rely on cut-outs, including members of organised crime gangs, to carry out their bidding," Burgess noted.
Iran has denied the allegations, dismissing Canberra's decision as "politically motivated." Its foreign ministry argued that antisemitism "has no place in Iranian culture" and vowed a response to the expulsions.
This marks the first time since World War II that Australia has expelled an ambassador, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said, stressing that the government's priority is the safety of Australians. She also urged citizens in Iran to leave the country immediately.
Jewish community leaders welcomed the move. Daniel Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the attacks "terrified our community" and amounted to an assault on Australia's sovereignty. Israel's embassy in Canberra also praised the decision, calling Iran "a threat not only to Jews and Israel but to the free world."
