Australia has expelled Iran's ambassador, Ahmad Sadeghi, giving him seven days to leave the country after intelligence linked the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to antisemitic attacks. The decision, announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, follows a briefing from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director general Mike Burgess, who reported 'credible intelligence' that Iran directed the attacks on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney.
The government also plans to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, requiring changes to the criminal code as current laws only cover non-state groups. Australia’s embassy in Tehran has been closed and diplomats relocated to a third country. This marks the first expulsion of a foreign envoy since the Second World War.
Israel’s embassy in Canberra welcomed the move, calling it 'a strong and important move' and stating that Iran endangers the entire free world. The Australian Federal Police had previously investigated whether overseas actors were funding antisemitic activities, with Commissioner Reece Kershaw noting potential recruitment of locals for crimes.
The Labor government’s decisive response may counter criticism of its handling of rising antisemitism since 7 October. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and conservative voices in Australia have blamed Labor’s stance on Gaza and are expected to resume attacks ahead of the UN General Assembly, where Australia will formally recognise Palestinian statehood. The opposition Coalition noted it had called for listing the IRGC since 2023.
