MPs unite in condemning Iran’s role in targeting Jews
Federal and state MPs have condemned Iran’s involvement in a series of antisemitic attacks in Australia, warning that the revelations confirm long-held fears within the Jewish community and demand a stronger national response.
Iran’s ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi Pic: X
Kellie Sloane, Member for Vaucluse, said the revelations about Iran’s involvement in antisemitic attacks in Australia confirmed the worst fears of the Jewish community. She pointed to a pattern of escalating incidents since October 7, beginning with the shocking antisemitic displays at the Sydney Opera House and followed by a spate of synagogue and business firebombings over the summer.
“This is sanctioned terrorism designed to intimidate our Jewish community here in Australia and undermine social cohesion,” she said, warning that the threat extends beyond individual attacks to the fabric of Australian society.
Independent MP for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, echoed these concerns, describing the confirmation of Iran’s orchestration of attacks, including the firebombing of Bondi’s Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, as “horrifying but not entirely surprising.”
She noted that Jewish Australians had long warned about the Iranian regime’s reach and reiterated her calls for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be formally listed as a terrorist organisation. Spender said she was receiving briefings from ASIO, had spoken directly to the Minister for Home Affairs, and was in close contact with both community leaders and the victims of recent attacks.
Spender stressed that the government must now provide the funding and resources needed to protect Jewish Australians. “Jewish Australians belong here in Australia and must feel safe when they take their kids to school, go about their lives, or head to work or the synagogue. These are fundamental rights that all Australians expect and that Jewish Australians must enjoy too,” she said. Both MPs underlined the urgency of confronting Iran’s activities and ensuring the Jewish community can live without fear.
Andrew Wallace is the Shadow Cabinet Secretary and federal member for Fisher as well as the Chair of the Australian-Israel Allies Caucus.
He said: “As Chair of the Australia-Israel Allies Caucus and Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I welcome the announcement that the Iranian Ambassador has been expelled and that the Federal Government intends to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
Talking about the fires at both the Adass Israel and Lewis’s, he added: “These are not just attacks on Australia’s Jewish community. They are attacks on all 27 million Australians.’
Following the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador and other diplomats, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) called on all world leaders, global intelligence services, and law enforcement agencies to urgently investigate the role of foreign subversive actors, especially the Iranian regime, in orchestrating and financing anti-Semitic violence and anti-Israel demonstrations across the globe.
In a statement, CAM warns that “this revelation is not an isolated case but part of a wider pattern of malign activity. For years, the Iranian regime has exported terrorism, incited hatred against Jews and Israel, and mobilised proxies to destabilise democratic societies. These latest allegations expose how anti-Semitic attacks are being used as a weapon of statecraft.”
The Australian government’s decisive action shines a light on a terrifying truth: Antisemitism today is not only the product of fringe extremists but also a deliberate weapon deployed by hostile states,” said CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa. “If Iran is orchestrating attacks on Jewish communities in democratic countries, this represents a direct assault not only on Jews but on the safety, sovereignty, and democratic integrity of nations worldwide. Every responsible leader and agency must immediately investigate, expose, and counter this threat. Silence or complacency is complicity and could lead to the loss of life.”
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters has issued a strong rebuke of Iran after Australia revealed that Tehran directed at least two attacks targeting Jewish communities in Melbourne and Sydney.
Peters declared that New Zealand “unequivocally condemns Iran’s actions, including through proxies, in Gaza, the Red Sea and around the Middle East and the world.” He added that “state-sponsored attacks designed to sow discord are completely unacceptable.”
He confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has been instructed to urgently raise New Zealand’s concerns directly with the Iranian Ambassador in Wellington.
The revelations have heightened regional alarm over Iran’s growing use of proxies and state-directed terrorism targeting Jewish communities well beyond the Middle East. Both Australia and New Zealand have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting Jewish citizens and standing against foreign interference.
Victorian State Member David Davis told parliament that Mike Burgess, the head of ASIO has made it very clear that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been closely involved in directing operations in Australia and has been involved in at least two attacks, including at the Adass synagogue in my electorate – this shocking attack that occurred.
There is apparently a complex web of proxies used by the Revolutionary Guard Corps to hide this. This is credible evidence. It sought to hide its involvement in these antisemitic attacks on Australian soil. This is disgraceful. I am glad that Mr Burgess and ASIO have exposed these nefarious influences in Australia and this shocking and violent action on our soil. Iran have directed two – they tell us – and likely more attacks on Jewish interests in Australia. This has been a careful piece of research, and I pay tribute to the work that they have done in unpicking these links between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the individuals in Australia who have been involved in these attacks. Our Jewish community is precious. They deserve our support and they deserve our protection. In this circumstance I think ASIO has done great service.
