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Key Points
- Australia has expelled an ambassador for the first time since World War Two.
- Iran’s revolutionary guard will be listed as a terrorist organisation.
- ASIO says it’s likely Iran directed further attacks against the Jewish community as well.
Officials are currently reviewing the issue and determining the appropriate response, Baqaei said.
“Iran has sought to disguise its involvement, but ASIO assesses it was behind the attacks on the Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney on 20 October last year, and the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne,” he told reporters in Canberra.
IRGC to be listed as a terrorist organisation
Australia has also suspended operations in its embassy in Tehran, with all diplomats now moved to a third country.
Australians in Iran warned to leave the country
“If you’re an Australian in Iran, leave now if it is safe to do so.”
Albanese said: “The actions of my government send a clear message, a message to all Australians: we stand against antisemitism, and we stand against violence. And a message to nations like Iran who seek to interfere in our country, that your aggression will not be tolerated.”
Iran used ‘complex web of proxies’
Burgess said there was “a layer cake of cut-outs” between the IRGC and the alleged perpetrators conducting crimes.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said investigations uncovered links between the alleged crimes and commanders in the IRGC. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
“The IRGC used a complex web of proxies to hide its involvement,” Burgess said.
However, Burgess said no one at the Iranian embassy in Australia was involved in the attacks, saying they were directed purely by the IRGC.
Burke warned against “blame to Australians of Iranian heritage” over the developments.
Iranian and Jewish communities welcome ambassador’s expulsion
“We offer our full support to ensure that the IRGC’s networks of aggression are dismantled, and that Australians of all backgrounds are protected from foreign-sponsored threats.”
The fire destroyed two of Adass Israel synagogue’s buildings, with two people escaping with their lives. Source: AAP / Yumi Rosenbaum
Jewish community ‘owed apology’
“Those who sought to downplay the threat against the Jewish community or dismiss the campaign of terror targeting our community as a criminal con-job or hoax owe the Jewish community an apology,” president David Ossip said in a statement.
Renovations inside Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney’s Bondi after it was firebombed in October last year. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said the community would remain anxious about whether there was an ongoing risk.
