The Australian government expelled Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and three other embassy employees for involvement in antisemitic crimes. The country's domestic intelligence service assessed that Tehran coordinated attacks on a Melbourne synagogue and a kosher restaurant in Sydney, and suggested Iran may be behind additional incidents. The government announced closure of the Australian embassy in Tehran and relocated embassy staff to secure third-country locations. The foreign minister warned Australians against travel to Iran and urged those in Iran to leave, citing the risk of arbitrary detention. The prime minister condemned the actions as attempts to undermine social cohesion.
"Iran has sought to disguise its involvement, but ASIO assesses it was behind the attacks on the Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney on October 20 last year, and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on December 6," said the prime minister. AISO contends that Iran may in fact be behind several more attacks. Albanese also announced that, in response to the hostile behavior, Australia would close its embassy in Tehran.
In his announcement, Albanese condemned Tehran's malign activity, saying: "These were dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil. They were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community, it is totally unacceptable." Since the beginning of the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza in 2023, Australia has experienced numerous antisemitic attacks, with vehicles, schools, homes, businesses and houses of worship all targeted for vandalism or arson.
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