Australia announced on Tuesday, August 26, that it has expelled Iran’s ambassador after confirming Tehran’s role in two antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. The government also suspended operations of the Australian Embassy in Tehran.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, joined by the foreign minister, the home affairs minister, and the head of the intelligence agency in a press conference at Parliament, said that Australia is also preparing to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
Albanese confirmed that Australia’s embassy in Tehran has been shut down and that all Australian diplomats stationed there are now safely located in a third country.
The prime minister stated that Australia’s intelligence agency had gathered credible evidence showing that the Iranian government directed at least two attacks against Jewish communities in the country.
According to intelligence assessments, Iran was behind the October 20 attack on “Louis Continental Kitchen” restaurant in Sydney and the December 6 attack on the “Adas Israel” synagogue in Melbourne.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong further announced that the Iranian ambassador and three other Iranian officials have been given seven days to leave Australia.
She noted that this marks the first time since World War II that Australia has expelled an ambassador.
