Canberra links Tehran to anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne
The United States has welcomed Australia’s decision to expel Iran’s ambassador, Ahmad Sadeghi, following intelligence revelations that Tehran orchestrated anti-Semitic attacks on Australian soil.
A spokesperson for the State Department told The Australian that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s move was a vital step toward accountability. “The United States condemns Iran’s use of proxies to carry out anti-Semitic attacks in Australia and globally. We welcome Canberra’s actions to hold Tehran responsible and its plan to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation,” the statement read.
Australia’s intelligence agency, ASIO, is actively investigating whether the firebombing of Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin’s former Sydney residence last January was directed by Iran. The attack, which included anti-Semitic graffiti, left the Jewish community in shock.
Ambassador Sadeghi has been given seven days to leave the country, with several embassy staff reportedly fleeing Canberra under the cover of night.
The scandal has sparked political reverberations. Former Foreign Minister Bob Carr—once photographed alongside images of Ayatollah Khomeini and known for his meetings with Sadeghi—now says he is “shocked” and strongly supports the expulsion. “The revelation that Iran organised acts of hate on our soil is intolerable,” Carr stated.
Former political prisoner and academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who spent 804 days in Iranian prisons, criticised Carr, saying he should not be surprised by Tehran’s methods. Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore also voiced alarm, stressing that “no community should live in fear because of their religion or ethnicity.”
Iranian-Australian groups have likewise condemned Tehran’s involvement, urging Australians not to conflate ordinary Persians with the regime.
Diplomatic fallout is expected to intensify, as both Australia and the US move forward with plans to formally designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation—an action that would further strain relations with Tehran.
