Australia expels Iran’s ambassador after ASIO links Tehran to antisemitic attacks

# Australia expels Iran’s ambassador after ASIO links Tehran to antisemitic attacks

*Event date: 2025-08-26*

Australia has expelled Iran’s ambassador, shut its embassy in Tehran and announced plans to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation after intelligence officials said Tehran directed at least two antisemitic attacks on Australian soil. The decision marked one of the country’s most serious diplomatic responses to foreign interference in recent years.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the measures alongside ASIO chief Mike Burgess, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. According to the Sydney Morning Herald report, Burgess said the intelligence agency had uncovered links between the Iranian government, the Revolutionary Guard and attacks on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney. He said the agency assessed that Iran had directed at least two attacks and likely more, using a network of proxies to conceal its role.

The government said Iranian officials would have seven days to leave Australia. The embassy in Tehran was shuttered, and Canberra said it would introduce legal changes to allow the Revolutionary Guard to be listed as a terror group under the criminal code. That step matters because current Australian law is framed around non-state organisations, creating a technical obstacle to designating a state military body.

The attacks under investigation caused major damage but no injuries. Authorities believe the Melbourne synagogue firebombing and the Sydney arson attack were both part of a broader campaign to intimidate the Jewish community and destabilise social cohesion. Albanese said the acts were orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil and were designed to sow discord.

The political reaction was swift. Opposition leader Sussan Ley backed the response. Jewish community leaders praised the government’s stance, while Israel’s embassy in Canberra said the move was long overdue. The Iranian foreign ministry rejected the allegations and said Australia’s decision was driven by domestic political concerns.

Burgess said the investigation had examined dozens of incidents and that Australia did not believe Iran was behind every antisemitic act in the country. Even so, he said the evidence showed an “organised crime element offshore” and a “complex web of proxies” connecting alleged local actors to the Revolutionary Guard.

The announcement also reflected a wider shift in Australia’s security posture. The article notes that this was the first time Australia had expelled an ambassador since World War II, underlining how seriously Canberra viewed the findings. It also tied the episode to the broader rise in antisemitism and the sharpening debate over foreign interference, extremist violence and diplomatic pressure.

For Australia, the practical implications are both diplomatic and legal. For Iran, the response raises the cost of operating through cutouts and transnational networks. For Jewish Australians, the government framed the package as a direct answer to a threat that had moved from intelligence assessment into public policy.