By Kirsty Needham
SYDNEY (Digital Media Team) – Australia alleged that Iran was responsible for two antisemitic arson incidents in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, and on Tuesday, it ordered the ambassador from Tehran to leave the country within seven days, marking the first such removal since World War Two.
Canberra is the most recent Western government to allege that Iran has been conducting hostile secret operations within its territory. In the previous month, 14 nations, including Britain, the United States, and France, criticized what they described as an increase in assassination, abduction, and harassment attempts by Iranian intelligence agencies.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation has obtained reliable information indicating that Iran was responsible for at least two attacks.
These were remarkable and perilous acts of aggression planned by a foreign country on Australian territory,” Albanese said during a media conference. “They aimed to weaken social unity and create division within our community.
Iran attempted to “hide its role” in the attacks on a kosher restaurant in Sydney and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne last year, according to Albanese. No one was injured in the incidents.
Since the Israel-Gaza conflict started in October 2023, antisemitic acts of vandalism and arson have occurred in Australian homes, schools, synagogues, and vehicles, with a rise in Islamophobic incidents as well.
Australia’s choice was driven by domestic matters, and the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s representative stated that antisemitism is not part of Iranian culture.
Iran will make a suitable response to Australia’s actions, according to statements reported by state media.
Australia’s intelligence agency stated that it is probable Iran has ordered additional attacks, Albanese mentioned, noting that Australia has halted activities at its embassy in Tehran and all its diplomats are secure in a third country.
The government would classify Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group, Albanese noted, aligning with the United States and Canada, which have already placed the IRGC on their sanctions list.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated that Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and three Iranian officials were given seven days to depart.
“Iran’s behavior is entirely intolerable,” she stated during the meeting.
ORGANISED CRIME GANGS
The IRGC was instructing individuals in Australia to commit offenses, stated Mike Burgess, head of the intelligence agency.
“They’re only employing cut-outs, such as individuals who are criminals and part of organized crime groups to carry out their instructions or manage their activities,” he added.
British and Swedish security agencies also cautioned last year that Tehran was employing criminal intermediaries to execute its violent attacks within these nations, with London stating it had foiled 20 Iran-related plots since 2022.
Iran has consistently rejected these claims, stating they are part of an effort by adversarial Western nations to target it.
The Israeli embassy in Australia expressed approval of the measures taken against its primary adversary, Iran.
“The Iranian government poses a danger not just to Jews or Israel, but to the entire free world, including Australia,” the statement on X read.
An Israeli government representative named David Mencer stated to journalists in Israel: “It is a favorable result that the Australian government is taking those threats seriously.”
Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day aerial conflict in June, following Israel’s strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Daniel Aghian, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), which represents over 200 organizations, stated that Iran’s actions constituted an assault on Australia’s sovereignty.
“Those were attacks that specifically aimed at Jewish Australians, damaged a holy place of worship, resulted in millions of dollars in destruction, and frightened our community,” he stated on Tuesday.
ARSON ATTACKS
Two individuals have faced legal charges regarding the December incident that resulted in the burning of the synagogue, constructed in the 1960s by Holocaust survivors located in the Ripponlea neighborhood.
Last week, law enforcement officials in Victoria, a southeastern state, mentioned that they are reviewing electronic equipment taken during a raid on the residence of one individual, who is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Law enforcement officials report that three individuals entered the synagogue and started a fire.
A fire destroyed the kosher restaurant in Bondi, Lewis Continental Kitchen. The media reported that the man arrested in January in connection with the incident had ties to a prominent Australian motorcycle gang. He denied the allegations in court and was released on bail.
The Australian Iranian Community Organisation supported the removal and the decision to classify the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
“We’re genuinely pleased to see them leave,” said the company’s president, Siamak Ghahreman, during an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Approximately 90,000 individuals of Iranian origin reside in Australia.
Relations between Israel and Australia have become tense since the center-left government in Canberra announced recognition of a Palestinian state on August 11.
The action followed tens of thousands who walked across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge, demanding peace and the delivery of aid to Gaza, where Israel initiated an offensive almost two years ago following a deadly cross-border attack by the Hamas militant group.
Palestinian officials state that the ongoing conflict has resulted in over 62,000 deaths in Gaza, while aid organizations report that Israel’s embargo is causing a severe food crisis, leading to extensive hunger.
On Sunday, thousands participated in nationwide demonstrations supporting Palestine, causing the ECAJ to express concern that these events were creating an “unsafe environment.”
Some Jewish groups in Australia have endorsed the demonstrations, nevertheless.
An Australian civil society organization called the Islamophobia Register reported a 500% increase in such incidents in workplaces, universities, and the media since October 2023, with 1,500 cases documented.
(Reported by Christine Chen, Renju Jose, and Kirstry Needham; Additional reporting by Elwelly Elwely in Dubai; Written by Saad Sayeed; Edited by Christian Schmollinger, Clarence Fernandez, Alex Richardson, Rod Nickel)
