August 26, 2025 | 12:03 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused Iran of orchestrating at least two antisemitic attacks on his country, announcing that his government will expel the Iranian ambassador to Canberra. This decision is based on findings from the Australian intelligence agency, ASIO.
"They were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community. It is totally unacceptable, and the Australian government is taking strong and decisive action," Albanese told reporters on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Albanese made the surprising announcement alongside Federal Police Commissioner (AFP) Reece Kershaw, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess, and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, as reported by News.com.au. "A short time ago, we informed the Iranian ambassador to Australia that he will be expelled," he said.
The antisemitic campaign attributed to Iran includes an attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on December 6, 2024, where two masked men set the building on fire.
The intelligence agency believes there is also a connection to the attack on Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Bondi, Sydney, which was damaged by a Molotov cocktail last October.
Iran's Ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, was informed just 30 minutes before the press conference that he, along with three other officials, had been expelled from the country. This marks the first time since World War II that Australia has expelled a foreign ambassador.
Additionally, the prime minister stated that Australia has suspended operations at its embassy in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and has relocated all of its diplomats to a third country. "I can also announce the government will legislate to list Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, as a terrorist organisation," he added.
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