Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador this week after confirming Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) orchestrated antisemitic arson attacks on Jewish sites in Sydney and Melbourne. This marks the first time since World War II that Australia has expelled an ambassador, signaling a historic escalation in diplomatic consequences for foreign-directed terror.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement Tuesday, stating intelligence services concluded Iran directed at least two violent attacks: the torching of a kosher café in Sydney’s Bondi area in October 2024, and a major arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December. Though no injuries occurred, both incidents targeted the Jewish community with clear intent to intimidate and destabilize.
“These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” said Albanese. The prime minister emphasized that the attacks aimed to erode social cohesion and stir domestic unrest.
Iran denied the charges and vowed retaliation against Australia’s diplomatic measures. Nevertheless, Australia declared Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi persona non grata, ordering him and three other Iranian officials to leave the country within a week. Australia also withdrew its ambassador from Tehran and suspended operations at its embassy, established in 1968. Diplomatic staff are currently safe in a third country.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong stressed that Australia will keep limited diplomatic channels open to support nationals abroad, though consular services in Iran are now extremely limited. Australians have been advised against travel to Iran, and citizens currently there have been urged to leave immediately.
Michael Burgess, head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, said the IRGC operated through a “web of proxies” to conceal its involvement. The intelligence service determined the Iranian military arm was “likely” connected to additional planned attacks. Though Iran’s diplomats in Canberra were not directly involved, their government’s orchestration of violence was clear.
Daniel Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, praised the intelligence breakthrough but expressed alarm. “We have been targeted in such a callous and calculated way, by a ruthless and violent foreign force, because of who we are,” he said.
The 2024 attacks follow a global surge in antisemitism after Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. The Melbourne synagogue fire, one of the most destructive in recent Australian history, was classified by authorities as a “likely terrorist incident.”
Australia now plans to formally designate Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist organization. Israel’s embassy in Canberra welcomed the decision, stating it had “long advocated” for such a move.
Counterterrorism experts say fallout may be limited given the already minimal ties between the two nations. However, the diplomatic shockwave sent by Australia’s bold action underlines the gravity of state-sponsored terrorism—even from across the globe.
