Concerns That Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Are Circumventing Australian Sanctions: Senate Inquiry

‘Sanctioning is really a symbolic act, if we’re not actually taking measures to enforce those sanctions,’ said former hostage Kylie Moore-Gilbert.

Members of the Iranian community wave flags as they march during a rally in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 14, 2026. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Australia’s decision to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation was necessary, but without stronger enforcement, it risks being little more than symbolic, a Senate committee has been told.

Appearing before the Senate Committee on Intelligence and Security on Feb. 26, former political prisoner Kylie Moore-Gilbert and representatives of Australia’s Iranian diaspora said gaps in enforcement, visa screening and sanctions compliance were undermining the impact of the ban.