Tensions flared on Tuesday as Iran vowed to hit back after Australia expelled its ambassador, accusing Tehran of orchestrating antisemitic arson attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.
Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, alleged that Iranian operatives were behind the firebombing of a kosher café in Sydney’s Bondi area in October 2024 and a major arson attempt at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne two months later. Both incidents caused significant damage but no casualties.
In response, Canberra declared Iran’s ambassador, Ahmad Sadeghi, and three other officials persona non grata, giving them seven days to leave.
Australia also recalled its own envoy from Tehran and suspended embassy operations that have been active since 1968.
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The move provoked sharp condemnation in Tehran. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei dismissed the claims as “absolutely rejected” and warned that “any inappropriate and unjustified action on a diplomatic level will have a reciprocal reaction.”
Baqaei suggested that Canberra’s decision was politically motivated, linking it to domestic protests in Australia over Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. “It seems this action is taken to compensate for the limited criticism the Australian side has directed at the Zionist regime,” he said.
The diplomatic clash marks a significant escalation in already fraught relations between the two countries, with both sides now bracing for further fallout.