‘Your Aggression Will Not Be Tolerated’: Australia Expels Iranian Ambassador Over Attacks on Jewish Community Targets

Latest Developments

2 Attacks Linked to Iran: Australia announced the expulsion of Iran’s ambassador in Canberra as well as its designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization on August 26. Canberra accused Tehran of orchestrating at least two attacks targeting Australian Jews following the Hamas-led atrocities in Israel on October 7, 2023. “The actions of my government send a clear message, a message to all Australians that we stand against antisemitism, and we stand against violence … and a message to nations like Iran who seek to interfere in our country, that your aggression will not be tolerated,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. The two attacks cited were the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue in December 2024 and an arson attack on a kosher delicatessen in Sydney in October, with officials adding that it was likely Iran had directed additional attacks in Australian territory.
Academic Imprisoned in Iran Recalls Interrogation: In an op-ed for The Age, the Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was incarcerated in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison on false charges of espionage from 2018 to 2020, recalled that her captors had interrogated her about possible Jewish targets in Melbourne. “Typed on [a] piece of paper were the names and addresses of a number of synagogues and Jewish organizations in my home city of Melbourne, including in suburbs such as Caulfield and Doncaster,” she wrote, adding that her interrogator “wanted to know if I’d visited any of them, and if so, what was inside.” Moore-Gilbert later informed the Australian Security Intelligence Organization about the Iranian inquiries when she was released in a prisoner swap in November 2020.
Iran’s Global Reach: Iran has orchestrated acts of terror in other countries, in addition to Australia, with which it maintains diplomatic relations. In March, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish transnational criminal organization involved in planning attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in Europe on behalf of Iran, including the January 2024 attempted bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm. In March 2024, anti-regime Iran International reporter Pouria Zeraati was stabbed in London by three Eastern European men suspected of being hired or acting on behalf of the Iranian regime, though the United Kingdom never formally linked Tehran to the attack.

FDD Expert Response

“While the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization took far too long, it should signal the beginning of a series of steps to align Australian and U.S. policy toward Iran. Canberra must use all available tools to empower its law enforcement and judiciary to defend its citizens from Iran-backed terror and make Australia off limits for the IRGC.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow

“Iran has brazenly used its embassy as a hub for attacking Jewish targets in Australia. Since the regime had the gall to do this in Australia, it warrants real concern that Tehran is engaging in similar activities in other countries.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network