The Australian government's recent decision to expel the Iranian ambassador from Canberra, based on accusations linking Iran to fires at a Jewish synagogue and restaurant in Sydney, is a provocative move that demands scrutiny. Why has Australia chosen to escalate tensions with Iran at this moment, and who truly benefits from this action?
The context is revealing. On August 19, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a sharp critique against Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling him a "weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australian Jews." A week later, facing this pressure, Albanese announced the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador, accusing Iran of anti-Semitism.
This sequence suggests Albanese's decision is less about facts and more about political maneuvering. By taking a strong public stance against Iran, he appears to be deflecting Netanyahu's accusations of being soft on Israel and sidestepping potential labels of anti-Semitism. The enthusiastic welcome of this move by the Israeli embassy in Australia, alongside talks of designating the IRGC as a terrorist group, further indicates that this is likely an effort to mend fences with the Israeli government.
This accusation against Iran is also deeply hypocritical. Australia itself must be held accountable for providing a safe haven to anti-Iranian terrorist groups on its own soil. Since 2013, an Ahwazi separatist terrorist group, "Harakat Rawaḍ al-Nahḍah," has been allowed to operate openly from its headquarters in Canberra. Despite formal correspondence in 2020 from the families of Iranian terror victims urging the Australian government to act, its embassy in Tehran and the government itself have shown no reaction.
While this terrorist group continues its activities against Iran from Australian soil, the Canberra government has ignored all demands for accountability. Before leveling accusations to appease Zionist interests, the Australian government must answer for its own support of a separatist and terrorist faction.
In response to this double standard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran must take decisive action against Australia's behavior in supporting terrorism and place this matter firmly on its agenda.
By: Seyed Mohammad Javad Hasheminejad, Secretary-General of the Habilian Foundation (Iranian Families of Terror Victims)