Australia expels Iranian ambassador in historic move
For the first time since the Second World War, Australia has expelled a foreign ambassador, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announcing that Iranian envoy Ahmad Sadeghi and three other diplomats must leave the country within seven days after intelligence linked Iran to antisemitic attacks on Australian soil, reports a Kazinform News Agency correspondent.
Speaking at a press conference, Albanese said the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) had traced last year’s arson attacks at a Jewish-owned restaurant in Sydney and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The prime minister also confirmed that Australia has suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran for the safety of its consular officials, while urging Australians currently in Iran to leave the country.
Albanese noted that the IRGC – an elite branch of the Iranian military, accused of suppressing dissent domestically and funding militias across the Middle East – will be formally designated a terrorist organization in Australia. The United States took a similar step in 2019.
Earlier, it was reported that Australia will recognize a Palestinian state, joining France, Britain, and Canada in signaling similar intentions.
