Muted Response Expected From ‘Axis of Evil’ Countries as Australia Expels Iran Diplomat

‘The Iranians like to talk with their fist, so there will be some kind of retaliation,’ said Prof. Joseph Siracusa from Curtin University.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, right, and Director-General of ASIO Mike Burgess speak to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP

Beijing and Moscow are expected to tread carefully in their reaction to Australia’s expulsion of Iran’s ambassador, with analysts noting both regimes are balancing ties in the Middle East and have little interest inflaming tensions.

On Aug. 26, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the expulsion of Iran’s Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and suspended Australia’s embassy operations in Tehran, after spy agencies confirmed Iran was the chief organiser behind two anti-Semitic arson attacks.

The Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) said it had gathered “credible intelligence” showing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed the Oct. 20, 2024 arson incident at Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney, and the Dec. 6, 2024 firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne.

The Albanese government will further list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, while Australians in Iran are being urged to leave the country now.

In response, Iran rebuked Albanese’s decision, describing Australia’s accusations as politically motivated and punishment for “the Australian people’s support for Palestine.”