Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has blamed Iran for coordinating two anti-Semitic attacks, announcing he would cut diplomatic ties with Tehran in retaliation.
According to Albanese, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has established that Iranian authorities were behind the arson attacks on the Lewis Continental Kitchen kosher food company in Sydney in October 2023 and the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne in December of the same year.
Iranian officials have denied all accusations.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in 2023, Sydney and Melbourne have seen a significant increase in anti-Semitic violence.
Australian authorities have previously expressed suspicions that foreign criminal groups are funding local criminals to carry out acts of violence in the country.
At least one suspect has been arrested in the Sydney cafe investigation, while two people have been arrested in the Melbourne synagogue arson case.
“ASIO has gathered enough credible information to draw some very worrying conclusions,” Albanese told reporters. “At least two of the attacks were planned by the Iranian government. Despite Tehran's attempts to hide its role, the evidence points to its involvement.”
“These actions by a foreign state on Australian soil constitute unprecedented and dangerous aggression,” he said. “Their aim is to destroy social cohesion and sow discord in society. Such behaviour is absolutely unacceptable.”
Prior to the announcement, Australian authorities notified Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi of his expulsion. Also, according to Albanese, staff of Australian diplomatic missions in Iran were urgently recalled through third countries.
An official warning to Australian citizens in Iran mentions the closure of the embassy and urges them to “leave the country without delay at the earliest opportunity if it is safe to do so.”
“Foreign nationals, including Australians and dual nationals, are at risk of arbitrary detention or arrest in Iran,” the document states.
Australia has raised its travel advice for Iran to the highest level: “entry is strongly discouraged”.
The Iranian side has historically used the detention of Western citizens or individuals with foreign connections as a tool of diplomatic pressure.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra would maintain limited diplomatic channels with Tehran to protect national interests, adding that the expulsion was Australia's first such move since World War II.
Albanese also announced the preparation of a bill to include Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the list of terrorist organizations.
Under Australian law, supporting organisations on the terrorist list is a criminal offence.
The government has previously rejected proposals to designate the Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, given its status as a state institution.
Iran's paramilitary forces have been accused of involvement in foreign terrorist attacks for decades, although they systematically deny the claims.
The Quds Force, part of the Corps, has, according to Western countries, repeatedly recruited local militants and criminal elements to persecute dissidents and Israelis outside of Iran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei rejected the Australian accusations, blaming them on tensions between Canberra and Israel following statements about possible recognition of Palestine.
“It appears that the anti-Iranian steps and the undermining of bilateral relations were a response to Australian criticism of the Zionist regime's policies,” Baghaei said.
The moves come a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued harsh statements calling Albanese a “weak politician who betrayed Israel” for his support for Palestinian statehood.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
