Iran has now delivered a scathing rebuke of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following the expulsion of its ambassador after it was accused of organising major anti-Semitic incidents in the country.
On Aug. 26, Australian ministers appeared with the chief of the country’s domestic spy agency, the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation’s (ASIO) Mike Burgess, to say there was “credible intelligence” that the Iranian regime directed—through various proxies and “cut outs”—at least two major anti-Semitic arson incidents.
They include the Oct. 20, 2024 attack on the Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney, and the Dec. 6, 2024 firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne. The ASIO chief did not rule out involvement in other incidents.
Both attacks were designed to “undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community,” said Prime Minister Albanese, and were attributed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—a paramilitary organisation accountable directly to Iran’s supreme leader, and not the people.
In response to the expulsion of Iran’s diplomatic staff, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said his government was in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that Albanese was a “weak politician.”
“Accusing Iran of attacking such sites in Australia while we do our utmost to protect them in our own country makes zero sense,” read is post on X.
Araghchi claimed Canberra’s stance was punishment for “the Australian people’s support for Palestine,” warning it would “only embolden Netanyahu and his ilk.”
Tehran Weighs Next Steps
Alongside the rhetoric, Tehran signalled it is still weighing a response to Australia’s measures, which also include withdrawing its diplomatic staff from Tehran and issuing a travel warning to Australians in the country or considering travelling there.
As per an Iran Wire report, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei rejected Australia’s findings and described the accusations as politically motivated.
“The concept of anti-Semitism has no place in our culture and history,” Baghaei said, calling it “a Western and European phenomenon.”
Baghaei accused Canberra of “projection to justify anti-Iranian policies,” linking the expulsion of Iran’s ambassador to domestic Australian politics and protests over Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Albanese: ‘Anti-Semitism Part of Iran’s Ideology’
Prime Minister Albanese argued the motivation behind Iran’s actions was clear.
“Anti-Semitism, that is very much a part of the ideology of the leadership of Iran, and secondly, also, it’s aimed at disharmony in Australia,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne on Aug. 27.
“It’s an attack on our social fabric—who we are,” he added.
Asked whether the events pointed to an intelligence failure, Albanese defended ASIO’s work.
“In today’s world, where things are often done on the dark web … where you have encrypted messages, cryptocurrencies, transfers, you have a complex situation here, and it’s an extraordinary effort by ASIO and the [Australian Federal Police] to be able to trace the chain of command, if you like, right back to the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] through to the people who perpetrated these criminal acts.”
