Iran criticises Australia's move to cut ties as an 'assault on diplomacy'

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Iranian government has described Australia’s moves to sever ties with the regime as an 'assault on diplomacy'. The Iranian ambassador has been expelled after Australia's domestic spy agency found Iran was behind at least two antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.

Transcript

00:00This is the first time since World War II where Australia has moved to expel a diplomat,

00:09an ambassador, and then in this case three diplomats as well.

00:13This following the revelations yesterday from ASIO and the government that Iran, through

00:20the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, was involved in orchestrating these two attacks

00:27using a number of proxies, the two attacks being the firebombing of the Adas Israel Synagogue

00:33in Melbourne in December, and also of Lewis's Continental Cafe and Restaurant, A Deli, in

00:40Sydney's Bondi region, that Iran was ultimately responsible for this and then did engage a

00:48series of intermediaries to carry out these attacks.

00:53Following on from that, we've heard quite a number of comments from both the government

01:01and the opposition backing in this decision.

01:04This is not the first time that a Western government has moved to expel an Iranian ambassador or

01:11to list the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.

01:18That second step also being committed to by the government yesterday, following in the

01:24footsteps of many other, as I say, Western countries in doing so.

01:31We have heard this morning from, again, both the government and opposition, who are both

01:35supportive of this decision and say the behaviour that has been demonstrated in the involvement

01:40of Iran in these attacks, not just on Australia's Jewish community, but Australia as a whole,

01:47is utterly unacceptable.

01:48Take a listen.

01:49We have no reason to believe that the people who are actually conducting the actions had

01:56any idea who had started it.

01:59That doesn't change the seriousness from the Australian government's point of view that

02:04Iran was still involved.

02:06And it draws a very red line in the ground for any country, in fact, who would consider

02:12conducting foreign interference, espionage, sabotage or indeed even targeted killings on our soil.

02:20The Israeli government has suggested that this move by the Australian government is in response

02:26to retaliation from Israel over Australia's recent moves to ban several members or revoke

02:35the visas of several members of the Israeli government from entering Australia, as well as to move to

02:42recognise a Palestinian state.

02:44The Australian government says this is not the case and that this decision yesterday is

02:49of no relevance or is not linked to its previous announcements when it comes to Israel and Palestine

02:57as well, Gemma.

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