Australia has decided to expel Iran\u2019s ambassador and move toward officially designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, a step that could prompt the United Kingdom and European Union to do the same.<\/p>\n
Australian intelligence agencies have linked the Iranian government to anti-Semitic arson attacks on Jewish community sites in Sydney and Melbourne in late 2024.<\/p>\n
The Iranian ambassador and three other officials have been given a week to leave the country — the first time since World War II that Australia has expelled an ambassador.<\/p>\n
Hossein Alizadeh, a former Iranian diplomat in Finland, told RFE\/RL\u2019s Radio Farda that the number of diplomats being expelled by Canberra carries a clear message.<\/p>\n
\u201cExpelling a single person is significant in diplomatic relations, but when Australia says it is expelling the ambassador along with three diplomats, it suggests they have solid evidence to support the allegation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei dismissed the allegations, insisting that \u201cantisemitism has no place in our policies.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said during his weekly press conference that Australia\u2019s decision would hurt bilateral relations and \u201cis influenced by internal Australian affairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, every inappropriate and unjustified diplomatic action will have a reciprocal move,\u201d Baqaei said.<\/p>\n
Alizadeh told Radio Farda that the alleged plots on Jewish communities in Australia are part of Tehran\u2019s attempts to respond to Israel\u2019s covert operations against Iranian interests, including sabotage operations and assassination attempts that Israel has never officially admitted to.<\/p>\n
He said Iran is not able to deliver proportionate responses to Israel\u2019s actions, \u201cso it targets Jews across the world, regardless of whether they have any ties to Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Momentum Builds To Blacklist IRGC<\/strong><\/p>\n Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the IRGC terrorist listing is being prepared, bringing Australia in line with countries such as the United States and Canada. The IRGC has been accused internationally of directing violent campaigns outside Iran and suppressing dissent within its borders.<\/p>\n Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a British-Australian academic who was jailed in Iran for two years on spying charges she denies, welcomed the government\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n \u201cI applaud Albanese and [Foreign Minister Penny] Wong for stepping up and taking decisive action against a brutal regime which has long shown itself to be an enemy of the Australian people. It’s such a shame that it’s taken them so long,\u201d she wrote on X.<\/p>\n The IRGC is a formal branch of Iran\u2019s armed forces, but it is distinct from the regular army and holds much broader political and ideological responsibilities. It functions as both a domestic security force and an overseas paramilitary organization dedicated to furthering Iran\u2019s interests through proxies and covert operations. It is also deeply integrated within Iran\u2019s political and economic landscape.<\/p>\n The EU and UK have faced mounting pressure to formally proscribe the IRGC, but both have so far stopped short, citing legal and diplomatic obstacles.<\/p>\n The European Parliament has twice voted in favor of blacklisting the group, yet EU law requires a conviction, administrative ban, or evidence from a member state before a designation can proceed.<\/p>\n