Australia Rejects Israel’s Claims Over Iran Envoy Expulsion Amid Antisemitism Probe

Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador over alleged links to antisemitic attacks but denied Israel’s claims that the move was prompted by Prime Minister Netanyahu. Australian officials insisted the decision was based on independent intelligence. The government has also closed its embassy in Iran and warned citizens to leave the country immediately.

Australia has firmly denied Israeli assertions that its decision to expel Iran’s ambassador was influenced by intervention from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The expulsion follows evidence linking Iran to antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne — an accusation Tehran denies.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke dismissed Israel’s claim as “complete nonsense,” stating that Canberra acted independently after assessing intelligence that Iran had directed two arson attacks targeting Jewish sites. The ambassador, Ahmad Sadeghi, was given seven days to leave — Australia’s first such expulsion since World War Two.

“There was not a minute between us receiving this assessment and starting to work through our response,” Burke said during a radio interview on Wednesday. He added that those who carried out the attacks may not have known they were being guided by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but Iran’s involvement remains unacceptable.

The Israeli government had claimed Netanyahu’s “forthright intervention” — especially following Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood at the UN — helped push the decision. Israeli spokesperson David Mencer suggested Australia’s policy shift damaged bilateral relations, but welcomed the expulsion.

Netanyahu had previously described Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as “a weak politician” who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jewish community. These remarks followed Canberra’s pro-Palestine stance amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.

Since the war’s outbreak in October 2023, antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents have sharply risen across Australia. Attacks on synagogues, kosher establishments, and Muslim sites have drawn national concern.

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Foreign Minister Penny Wong has since urged Australians in Iran to return home, announcing the closure of Australia's embassy there. Up to 4,000 Australians are believed to be living in Iran.

Iran, for its part, has called the allegations baseless and part of a “Western smear campaign.”