Ambassador Expelled From Australia, Iran Will Retaliate

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei/PHOTO via X @IRIMFA_SPOX

JAKARTA - Iran will take countermeasures following Australia's decision to expel its ambassador in Canberra on charges that Tehran was behind the country's anti-Jahudi attacks.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, rejected Australia's accusations, saying any inappropriate and unjustified actions at the diplomatic level would be retaliated.

Baghaei also said the measures appeared to be affected by internal developments in Australia, including weekend protests across the country opposing Israel's war in Gaza.

"It seems that this action was taken to compensate for the limited criticism sent by the Australian side against the Zionist regime (Israel)," he continued as quoted by Al Jazeera, Wednesday, August 26.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese previously said Iran was behind the burning of a cafe in Sydney last October and directed a massive arson attack against a mire in Melbourne in December.

There were no casualties in the two attacks where the attackers burned the property which caused severe damage.

Iran sees Australia's actions as a continuation of hostilities by Australia over the past few years.

"Australia has imposed several sanctions (on IranO, for example, in 2024 after Iran's countermeasures against Israeli territory", he said.

Tehran sees these latest steps as another sign that Australia sided with Israel.