#australia-iran-relations

#australia-iran-relations

Australia is not known for picking fights. It prioritizes trade and has diplomatic relations with almost every country in the world-even the reclusive North Korea. But on Tuesday, it did something it hadn't done since World War II: It expelled an ambassador. Shutting down the Iranian embassy, the Australian government declared Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi persona non grata and ordered him and three other Iranian officials to leave within three days.

Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (Asio) had credible intelligence to believe that the Iranian government was behind the attacks against the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne and Lewis's Continental Kitchen in Bondi in Sydney last year. He also announced that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps would now be listed as a terrorist group. Australia declared Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi persona non grata and ordered him and three other officials to leave the country within seven days.