Sydney, Aug 27 (V7N) – In an unprecedented diplomatic move since World War II, Australia has declared Iran’s ambassador, Ahmad Sadeghi, persona non grata and ordered him—and three other Iranian diplomats—to leave the country within seven days. The decision follows a national security investigation concluding that Iran orchestrated two antisemitic arson attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.
 
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that intelligence from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) linked Iran to arson attacks targeting Lewis Continental Kitchen, a kosher restaurant in Sydney, and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne. Both incidents caused significant damage but resulted in no injuries, although they instilled fear within Australia’s Jewish community.
 
Albanese condemned the incidents as “extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” intended to undermine social cohesion.
 
In response, Australia has suspended operations at its Tehran embassy, recalled its diplomats, and plans to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization—joining the U.S. and Canada in doing so. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong emphasized that this is the first ambassadorial expulsion in the post-war era.
 
In solidarity, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry called the decision "a necessary response to an affront on national sovereignty," noting the attacks were deliberate efforts to terrorize and harm the Jewish community.
 
The Iranian government swiftly denied the allegations, calling them unfounded and politically motivated, and vowed to respond in kind.
 
These allegations come amid a broader rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in Australia since the Israel-Gaza conflict began in October 2023—marking a heightened atmosphere of social tension and fear.
 
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