Australia cuts ties with Iran over antisemitic attacks

Australia has cut diplomatic ties with Iran after accusing Tehran of directing antisemitic attacks on Jewish sites.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said intelligence gathered by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, ASIO, confirmed Iran was behind attacks on a kosher food company in Sydney last October and a synagogue in Melbourne in December.

“We have investigated dozens of incidents targeting Jewish communities, places of worship, businesses and prominent individuals. ASIO now assesses the Iranian government directed at least two and likely more attacks on Jewish interests in Australia. Our painstaking investigation uncovered and unpicked the links between the alleged crimes and the commanders in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC,” said ASIO chief Mike Burgess.

Iran’s ambassador has been expelled, and Australian diplomats withdrawn from Tehran. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said this is the first time since World War II that Canberra has expelled an ambassador.

Albanese also confirmed plans to list Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.

The move follows a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in Australia since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in 2023.