Albanese says Iran orchestrated ‘extraordinary and dangerous acts’ in Australia in bid to sow discord
Moving on to questions, Sussan Ley asks Anthony Albanese about the Iranian ambassador’s expulsion and listing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
She says the Coalition has previously called for these actions, and supports them.
Albanese says Australians have witnessed a number of “appalling antisemitic attacks” against the Jewish community, and recaps Asio’s latest findings.
Iran has sought to disguise its involvement through the use of criminal elements being paid here in Australia. Asio assesses that apart from these two attacks, it is likely there are more as well. These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil. They were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community.
Albanese says the embassy staff in Tehran were evacuated to a third country safely before the revelations by Asio were made public.
The actions of my government send a very clear message to nations like Iran, who seek to interfere in our country, that your aggression will not be tolerated.
Albanese also says the government has briefed the premiers of Victoria and NSW, and also spoke with Allegra Spender, the federal member for Wentworth, where one of the two attacks took place.
Key events
Ryvchin said he spoke to the owners of Lewis Continental Kitchen – the business that was targeted in one of the two incidents the government said was directed by Iran:
They were beside themselves. On one level, it brings closure, I suppose, and greater clarity as to who was responsible and why.
But knowing that a foreign regime who committed terror attacks throughout the world is targeting Australian Jews – it’s absolutely terrifying.
And there are so many layers to this. We’ve seen the involvement of organised crime. So to have so many lethal elements involved, it really has caused further terror in the community, no doubt.
Ben Doherty
British-Australian academic Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert – who was held for 804 days by the Revolutionary Guards – most of it in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, said the Iranian embassy in Canberra had long played a “sinister role in sponsoring the surveillance of dissidents here in Australia”.
For years now the Iranian-Australian community and other victims of the IRGC, including myself, have been literally screaming at rallies, to our local MPs, in parliamentary consultations and in reports to the national security hotline that Iranian agents are operating brazenly and with few consequences here on Australian soil.
For years now the Iranian-Australian community and other victims of the IRGC, including myself, have been literally screaming at rallies, to our local MPs, in parliamentary consultations and in reports to the national security hotline that Iranian agents are operating brazenly…
— Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert (@KMooreGilbert) August 26, 2025
Josh Butler
It’s been a big news day. Here’s a quick catchup on the news about Iran and antisemitic attacks:
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Australia’s domestic intelligence agency Asio says it has intelligence that Iran directed at least two major antisemitic attacks in Australia in 2024: Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney on October 20, and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on December 6.
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Asio believes there are links between the alleged crimes and “commanders in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC.” Director-general Mike Burgess claimed the IRGC “used a complex web of proxies to hide its involvement”, but that criminals in Australia were paid to carry out these attacks.
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Burgess claimed IRGC officials were “directing through a series of cut-outs, people in Australia to undertake the crimes.”
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The government will legislate to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, Anthony Albanese said.
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Asio believes at least two, and potentially more, of the antisemitic attacks were directed by Iran, with the aim of “messing with social cohesion in Australia.”
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Iran’s ambassador to Australia has been expelled, and will have seven days to leave the country along with three other Iranian officials. However Burgess said the Iranian embassy was not involved in the attacks, nor any Iranian diplomats in Australia.
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Australia has withdrawn its ambassador in Iran, and suspended operations of our embassy there; Australian diplomats are now safe in a third country, Albanese said. Australians have long been urged not to travel to Iran, and the government has repeated those warnings, recommending Australians leave Iran now if it is safe to do so.
Jewish leader says attacks ‘sent terror through our community’
Ryvchin went on, thanking the government for the measures it has taken since the announcement:
These attacks … deliberately targeted the Jewish community, destroyed a sacred house of worship, caused millions of dollars of damage and sent terror through our community.
For many years, we have warned of the threat posed by the Iranian regime. This is a regime that not only subjugates its own people and war in the Middle East using its proxies, it has the capability and willingness to project terror throughout the world.
The entity responsible for this attack is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp and it is therefore entirely appropriate that our government has decided to designate them as a terrorist organisation in addition to expelling the Iranian ambassador. Two measures that we thank and commend the Australian government, and that we have long advocated for as well.
‘Confirms our community’s worst fears’
Alex Ryvchin, the co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, says the government’s announcement that two antisemitic attacks were orchestrated by the Iranian regime “confirms our community’s worst fears”.
Two of these attacks were plotted and orchestrated by a foreign entity operating on Australian soil. The Australian Jewish community is foremost deeply grateful to the men and women of the AFP, Asio and state police for keeping us safe. For their steel-minded commitment to pursuing these people, solving these crime and bringing the perpetrators to justice. These attacks instigated by the Iranian regime are an attack on our nation and our sovereignty, and as Australians, we are outraged by them.
Natasha May
Hello and let’s jump straight into it. Alex Ryvchin, from the executive council of Australian Jewry, has been speaking in Sydney in response to today’s news.
Krishani Dhanji
Thanks all for joining me on the blog today. I’ll leave you with the lovely Natasha May.
I’ll see you here bright and early tomorrow.
Tl;dr here’s what happened in QT
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Question time started on the revelations of Asio finding that Iran directed antisemitic attacks on Australian soil.
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The Coalition then moved on to tax questions, trying to get the government to rule out tax changes to housing, family trusts and farms. The government wouldn’t bite, and attacked the Coalition on its own policy promises at the last election.
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Independent MP Allegra Spender asked the prime minister if the government will work with the Jewish community to keep them safe. The PM says he spoke to Jewish leaders earlier today before the press conference, and that the government has rolled out funding for security for schools and community groups – but he doesn’t foreshadow any further funding.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Greens back decision to expel Iranian ambassador and list IRGC as terror group
The Greens have backed the federal government’s decision to expel the Iranian ambassador and list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation after revelations of Iran’s role in orchestrating at least two antisemitic attacks in Australia.
The Greens defence and foreign affairs spokesman, David Shoebridge, said the party had been calling for the listing of the IRGC for more than 12 months.
Shoebridge said:
We have heard from the (Iranian) diaspora community here that they do feel a sense of transnational repression. They felt that the Iranian regime is making them less safe in their communities.
It is is deeply unfortunate that it’s taken this most recent incident for the government to come forward with that action, but in solidarity with the Iranian diaspora and acknowledging the vile nature of those antisemitic attacks, we again say to the government, we will assist in that pathway through the Senate for legislation to permit the listing of the IRGC.
Jacinta Allan: ‘Terrorism shattered the peace in Melbourne and destroyed a synagogue built by Holocaust survivors’
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has made a statement to question time, confirming she has been briefed by the prime minister regarding the Iranian government being behind the attack at the the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne last year.
She told the chamber the announcement had “extraordinary implications” from Victoria’s national security.
For the first time since World War II, the Australian government has expelled an ambassador, and we support this decision without reservation, just as we have supported the joint investigation every step of the way. I’ll start by saying that this is an ongoing investigation, and there are still some facts that we don’t know, but here’s what we do know. In December last year, terrorism shattered the peace in Melbourne and destroyed a synagogue built by Holocaust survivors. The target of this act of terror was Victoria’s Jewish community. I visited Adass Israel Synagogue twice in the days after that attack, I will never forget the smell of burnt books. I will never forget the burns on their hands, and I will never forget thinking just how close this came to being a mass casualty event. My anger at the perpetrators of this act of terror will never, ever subside.
Allan says she spoke to Benjamin Klein from the the synagogue earlier today and expressed “the love and support of all Victorians”.
Speaker, the fear the Jewish community are feeling after this news is real and intense. And let me say this, when you inflict hurt and pain on one, you inflict it on all. This attack was not just an attack on Victoria’s Jewish community, it was an attack on all Victorians. And I say this to the Jewish community, your safety is our safety. We stand with you. We stand with your right to pray in peace, your right to live in this state in safety.
Bowen: ‘One Coalition, and many, many ways of killing net zero’
The government has pounced on the growing disunity over climate and net zero in the Coalition party room.
Chris Bowen ends question time with a dixer on Labor’s “clear and consistent” climate and energy policy.
Bowen lists a few of the government’s policies and then digs into the opposition:
What we have is two parties, one Coalition, and many, many ways of killing net zero. All that leads to net zero plan for the future of Australia, net zero plan for Australia’s regions who are relying on the Australian government to deal with the challenges of climate change and the impacts of drought and flood.
We’ll probably be hearing those lines for a while.
Will Australia update its plastics policies?
Zali Steggall gets the next crossbench question, and asks about plastic pollution. She says Australians are one of the world’s largest users of single-use plastic, and asks whether the government will update our plastics plan when negotiations globally aren’t reaching a consensus.
Tony Burke takes the question, representing the environment minister and says Australia has played a key role in negotiations for a plastics treaty.
He also says the government has delivered more than $1bn with state and territory governments and industries to boost recycling.
But he doesn’t give a clear answer on whether Australia’s plastics policy will be updated.
We’re fighting on the international stage for binding treaty to end plastic pollution by 2040. All members are concerned about this … The government is committed to being part of that international action.
‘Get a clue’: housing minister hits back at ‘nonsensical’ question about taxing spare bedrooms
Back to QT, the Liberal MP Ben Small asks housing minister Clare O’Neil whether the government will tax spare bedrooms.
O’Neil is pretty scathing and says the opposition is living in a “bizarre fantasy land”.She then also takes a stab at the shadow housing minister, Andrew Bragg (who sits in the Senate).
I heard these questions are getting asked over at the other place [Senate] today and I thought the shadow Housing Minister has not had his Weet-Bix for breakfast this morning, I do not know what he is going on about.
Small starts arguing back and Milton Dick tells him to pipe down. So O’Neil continues
The very last people that Australians should listen to when it comes to housing policy are those who sit opposite. Remember for almost a decade they sat on these benches and did nothing about a housing crisis building before their very eyes.
They then spent three years being housing hypocrites… now they’re asking nonsensical questions about policies that don’t even exist. Get a clue.
Video – Australia expels Iranian ambassador over evidence Iran directed antisemitic attacks
Jumping out of question time for a moment – you can watch some of that earlier press conference with the prime minister and Asio director general Mike Burgess below.
To recap, Anthony Albanese revealed Asio suspects Iran directed two antisemitic attacks on Australian soil. The IRGC will soon be listed as a terrorist organisation.
Foreign minister Penny Wong confirmed Iran’s ambassador and other embassy officials had been asked to leave Australia within seven days. Burgess said the embassy was not involved in the attacks.
