Australia Expels Iranian Ambassador After Antisemitic Attacks Linked to Tehran
In a rare and deeply unsettling move, Australia has expelled Iran’s ambassador, Ahmad Sadeghi, following credible intelligence that linked the Iranian regime to orchestrated antisemitic attacks on Australian soil. It is the first time since World War II that Australia has taken such a diplomatic step.
Standing before the nation in a solemn press conference, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the findings “deeply disturbing.” Intelligence services concluded that Iran was behind two calculated arson attacks targeting Jewish communities: the October 2024 firebombing of a kosher cafe in Bondi, Sydney, and the December 2024 arson attack at Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue.
“These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” the Prime Minister stated, visibly shaken. “They were attempts to undermine our social harmony and plant seeds of fear.”
Fortunately, no one was physically harmed in either attack, but the emotional and psychological toll on the Australian Jewish community has been immense.
In response, the Australian government declared Ambassador Sadeghi persona non grata, giving him and three other Iranian officials seven days to leave the country. Australia has also withdrawn its ambassador from Tehran and shuttered the embassy that had been operational since 1968.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong acknowledged the gravity of the decision, calling it “unprecedented in the post-war era.” She emphasized the need to protect Australian interests while still maintaining minimal diplomatic channels to handle critical issues affecting Australians abroad.
Australia will now move to formally designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization—a decision long awaited by advocates, including the Israeli Embassy in Canberra, which welcomed the announcement.
Michael Burgess, Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, described the investigation as “painstaking,” revealing a sophisticated network of proxies used by the IRGC to mask its involvement. While Iran’s embassy staff in Australia were not directly involved, the plot was traced back to Tehran.
For many in the Jewish community, the revelations were a gut-punch. Daniel Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, expressed a mix of relief and sorrow: “There may be comfort in knowing the truth, but there is also great fear in knowing we were targeted—not for what we’ve done, but for who we are.”
The attacks were part of a broader wave of antisemitic incidents in the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault on Israel and the subsequent conflict in Gaza. The Bondi cafe fire was initially not suspected as targeted, but subsequent findings now paint a chilling picture of calculated foreign interference.
While Canberra’s ability to assist Australians in Iran is now extremely limited, officials are urging any Australian citizens currently in Iran to leave immediately if it’s safe to do so.
Levi West, a counterterrorism expert at the Australian National University, noted that fallout from the diplomatic rupture would likely be minimal, given the already strained and limited ties between the two countries.
“This is more than just a diplomatic decision,” said one Sydney resident outside the scorched remains of the Bondi café. “It’s about protecting who we are as a country—diverse, united, and unwilling to tolerate hate.”