Australia has now reportedly taken the extraordinary step of expelling Iran’s ambassador after linking two antisemitic attacks, including the firebombing of a synagogue, to Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Officials in Canberra announced Tuesday that the regime’s most powerful military branch orchestrated the assaults through a maze of proxies, part of what they described as a broader campaign to destabilize Western democracies.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed the expulsion, noting it is the first time since World War II that Australia has removed an ambassador.
Three other Iranian diplomats will also be expelled, and operations at Australia’s embassy in Tehran have been suspended, effectively severing diplomatic ties.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese framed the decision as a stand against extremism. “The actions of my government send a clear message, a message to all Australians that we stand against antisemitism, and we stand against violence,” he said. “And a message to nations like Iran who seek to interfere in our country, that your aggression will not be tolerated.”
The two incidents tied to the IRGC were a December firebombing of a synagogue in Melbourne and an October blaze at a kosher food business in Sydney. Security officials believe Iran likely directed additional attacks with the aim of sowing division and eroding social cohesion.
Mike Burgess, Australia’s director-general of security, described a “layer cake of cutouts between IRGC and the person or the alleged perpetrators conducting crimes,” adding that some of those perpetrators had been paid.
The expulsions come amid a dramatic spike in antisemitic incidents following the Hamas-led assault on Israel of October 7, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent campaign in Gaza. A government report found that from October 2023 to September 2024, antisemitic incidents in Australia rose 316 percent, totaling more than 2,000.
For many Australian Jews, long accustomed to relative security in a country where they have played prominent civic roles, the revelations were sobering. “There will be great anxiety that we have been targeted in such a callous and calculated way by a ruthless and violent foreign force because of who we are,” said Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
Israel’s embassy in Canberra praised the move, warning that the regime’s threats have gone global. “Today, it became clear that this threat has reached Australian soil,” the embassy said in a statement on X. “The international community can no longer be complacent. Australia has taken a principled stand, others should consider following suit.”
The decision places Australia closer to Washington, which has long classified the IRGC as a terrorist organization and imposed sanctions. During President Donald J. Trump’s first term, a U.S. military strike eliminated a top Guard commander in what was hailed by conservatives as a decisive check on Tehran’s influence.
Allan Behm, a former adviser to Wong, predicted Washington would welcome Canberra’s move. “It will be taken as a measure of solidarity in the U.S. and its constant contest with Iran,” he said, adding that the expulsion represented “a fairly low-cost option” for Australia.
Iran’s embassy in Canberra could not be reached for comment. The regime has previously dismissed such allegations as fabrications by Israel and Western intelligence agencies.
Still, the expulsions underscore a rare moment of resolve from a left-leaning government that has otherwise been critical of Israel. Albanese has voiced support for recognizing a Palestinian state, prompting sharp criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently described him as “a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.”
For now, Canberra’s dramatic break with Tehran signals a recognition that antisemitism, once viewed as a fringe problem, is being weaponized by hostile foreign powers — and that democratic nations must respond with force.
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