The Australian government has dismissed denials from Iran regarding allegations that its military wing was responsible for directing anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated there is a high level of confidence in the evidence that links these attacks to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In response, Iran’s ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, has become the first ambassador to be expelled by the federal government since World War II.
The Labor government has not disclosed the specific evidence that led to intelligence agencies implicating the IRGC; however, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has indicated that investigations involved cryptocurrency and encrypted messaging. The government alleges that 2024 arson attacks on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne and Lewis’s Continental Kitchen in Sydney were orchestrated by IRGC commanders through intermediaries in heavily Jewish neighborhoods. No Iranian diplomats based in Australia were involved in these attacks, according to the director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Mike Burgess.
Albanese stated that the government has credible intelligence supporting Tehran’s involvement and that Iran is likely responsible for other anti-Semitic attacks. Iran’s government has vehemently rejected these claims, stating that their involvement in attacks against Australia’s Jewish community would be senseless and accusing Australia of trying to appease Israel. Iran’s foreign ministry has promised a reciprocal reaction to the expulsion of its diplomats.
Australia’s government remains tight-lipped about the exact methods used to reach their security assessment but seems confident in ASIO’s findings. Albanese commended ASIO and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for tracing the chain of command back to the IRGC, a feat made possible in the digital age where communications and transactions often occur on the dark web.
The Coalition opposition has criticized the government for not listing the IRGC as a terror group earlier, with some members claiming the government has been weak and slow to respond to the threat posed by Iran. However, the government is now considering legislation to formally designate the IRGC as a terror group, a task that may take several weeks to implement due to the complexity of rewriting parts of the criminal code.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/27/australia-has-high-level-of-confidence-iran-behind-antisemitic-attacks-as-ambassador-spotted-leaving-embassy
