How Leaders and Communities Responded to the Expulsion of Iran’s Ambassador

Opposition and premiers endorse decisive steps against Iran, but Jewish, Iranian diaspora groups, and the Greens say action was overdue.

A general view of the Iranian Embassy in Canberra, Australia, Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. Lukas Coch/AAP Image

Revelations that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish sites in Australia has triggered strong reaction.

Leaders across party lines and civil society condemned the attacks and backed Canberra’s move to expel Iran’s ambassador and designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

On Aug. 26, the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) confirmed they had “credible intelligence” proving Iran’s IRGC directed at least two attacks: 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.

How MPs Responded

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said she was “disgusted” to learn about Tehran’s involvement.

“We are all disgusted to learn of the serious and chilling foreign interference which has been perpetrated by Islamic Republic of Iran on Australian soil,” she said.

Ley described the IRGC’s actions as “brazen” and underlined bipartisan unity on the government’s response.

“I therefore want to make it abundantly clear from the opposition ... we’re entirely united on the measures announced today to expel the Iranian ambassador and list the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation,” she said.

During Question Time, Independent MP Allegra Spender raised concerns on behalf of Jewish constituents.

She said last summer was “one of the hardest in memory” for her Jewish Australian community, who endured a wave of anti-Semitic incidents, including the attack on the Lewis Continental Kitchen.

“Today, we learned that the Iranian government was behind the Lewis kitchen attack, the Adass synagogue attack, and potentially more. The security concerns of my community are real and justified. Will the government work with the community to keep them safe?” she asked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Albanese assured Spender that the government had already engaged community leaders before the announcement.

He also urged against inflaming domestic divisions over Middle East conflicts.

“People can have different views about the Middle East, and it’s absolutely legitimate for people to put forward those views. What is not legitimate is to blame Jewish Australians if they disagree with the policy of the Israeli government, or to blame Arabs or Muslim Australians for the actions of Hamas or other people,” he said.

State Leaders Condemn Attacks

The premiers of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, where the two attacks took place, also voiced outrage at ASIO’s findings.

NSW Premier Chris Minns called the revelations “deeply disturbing and utterly unacceptable.”

He stressed that “any act of hatred, including anti-Semitism, is unacceptable and undermines the harmony of our society.”

Minns took to X and said NSW Police would continue to coordinate with federal agencies “to ensure the safety of places of worship, businesses, and community members across our state.”

In Victoria, Premier Jacinta Allan expressed her anger over the December 2024 attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue, describing it as an “act of terror.”

Damage is seen following a firebombing at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, on Dec. 9, 2024. AAP Image/Yumi Rosenbaum

“My anger at the act of terror on the Adass Israel Synagogue will never ever subside. This attack was not just an attack on Victoria’s Jewish community, it was an attack on all Victorians,” she told Parliament.

She said her government “without reservation” supported the decision to expel the Iranian ambassador and reaffirmed solidarity with Jewish Victorians.

“When you inflict hurt and pain on one, you inflict it on all,” Allan said.

Jewish Community Voices Relief

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) said it was “deeply grateful” to ASIO and the Australian Federal Police for uncovering Iran’s role.

“As Australians, we are outraged that a foreign actor perpetrated acts of terror on our soil. Foremost, these were attacks that deliberately targeted Jewish Australians, destroyed a sacred house of worship, caused millions of dollars of damage, and terrified our community,” President Daniel Aghion said.

He pointed to Iran’s record of financing and directing global terror through the IRGC and welcomed its terrorist designation.

“These attacks instigated by the Iranian regime are an attack on our nation and our sovereignty. We welcome and appreciate the Australian government’s decision to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organisation,” Aghion said.

Government Criticised for Slow Action

Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an academic and former political prisoner in Iran, said the findings validated years of warnings from the Iranian-Australian community.

“For years now, the Iranian-Australian community and other victims of the IRGC have been literally screaming at rallies, to our local MPs, in parliamentary consultations, and in reports to the national security hotline that Iranian agents are operating brazenly and with few consequences here on Australian soil,” she wrote on X.

Moore-Gilbert applauded the prime minister and Foreign Minister Penny Wong for “taking decisive action against a brutal regime which has long shown itself to be an enemy of the Australian people.”

However, she added, “It’s such a shame that it’s taken them so long.”

The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) also said the government had dragged its feet. CEO Robert Gregory said his organisation, along with the Iranian diaspora, had repeatedly urged Canberra to expel the ambassador and list the IRGC.

“Despite repeated warnings, the Albanese government failed to act in a timely manner, leaving the Jewish community and Australia’s national security exposed,” Gregory said.

Greens Welcome Move, Question Timing

The Greens also welcomed the government’s decision, with the party’s defence and foreign affairs spokesman, David Shoebridge, saying the party had long pushed for the listing.

“We have heard from the [Iranian] diaspora community here that they do feel a sense of transnational repression. They felt that the Iranian regime is making them less safe in their communities,” he said, adding it was “deeply unfortunate” that action only came after the latest incidents.

He further requested for “the chain of evidence to support its conclusions.”

“Transparency builds public confidence and is critical at times like this,” he added.