Australia Expels Iranian Ambassador and Designates the "Revolutionary Guard" as a Terrorist Organization

In an unprecedented diplomatic escalation since World War II, the Australian government announced today, Tuesday, August 26, the expulsion of its Iranian ambassador and the designation of the "Iranian Revolutionary Guard" as a terrorist organization, following Tehran's alleged involvement in directing anti-Semitic attacks on its territory.

In a press conference, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese directly accused the Iranian government, stating: "I have directly directed the launch of at least two anti-Semitic attacks in Australia." Albanese described this behavior as "unacceptable and undermining the democratic values of his country."

These accusations were based on intelligence reports, where Albanese clarified: "The Australian Security Intelligence Organization has gathered enough reliable intelligence to reach a very concerning conclusion... Iran attempted to hide its involvement, but the agency's assessment confirms that it was behind those assaults."

Reports revealed that the attacks linked to Iran targeted a Jewish-owned restaurant in Sydney ("Louis Continental Kitchen") last October, and the "Adas Israel" synagogue in Melbourne last December, amid a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in 2023.

In response, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and three other officials were given "seven days to leave the country," in a first-of-its-kind precedent in decades. She also confirmed: "We made this decision because Iran's actions are absolutely unacceptable."

In response to this step, Australia withdrew its ambassador from Tehran and suspended its embassy operations there, noting that all Australian diplomats "are now safe in a third country." However, the Australian government clarified that it would maintain diplomatic communication channels with Iran to protect its citizens' interests there, especially since Australia has had an embassy in Tehran since 1968.