Iran should retaliate against Britain following Australia’s expulsion of Iranian diplomats, the hardline Iranian newspaper Kayhan said on Wednesday in a commentary that linked the Australian action to British influence.
The hardline daily Kayhan said Australia is tied to Britain through the monarchy and, Britain should be held responsible. “When a dog bites someone, the owner is punished,” the piece said, comparing Canberra’s actions to those of a subordinate power.
The column described Australia’s decision as a move to “please the Zionist regime” following “massive protests by hundreds of thousands of Australians against genocide and the crimes of the Zionist regime,” and called it “a show to cover up pressure from the people.”
Australia accuses Iran of directing attacks on Jewish sites
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards orchestrated two arson attacks in 2024, one at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and another at the Lewis Continental Kitchen, a kosher restaurant in Sydney.
“These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” Albanese said.
He added that Iran’s ambassador and three diplomats had been ordered to leave the country, and that Australia’s embassy in Tehran had suspended operations. It was the first expulsion of a foreign envoy by Canberra since World War II.
Tehran rejects charges, says Canberra is scapegoating
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied the allegations and said Iran was being punished for public support for Palestine. “Iran is paying the price for the Australian people’s support for Palestine,” he said on social media.
Araghchi said it made “zero sense” to accuse Iran of attacking Jewish sites abroad while it protects synagogues at home, and repeated criticism of Albanese. Quoting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he wrote, “I am not in the habit of joining causes with wanted war criminals, but Netanyahu is right about one thing: Australia's PM is indeed a weak politician.”
Netanyahu says pressure worked, Australia denies link
Netanyahu’s spokesperson said the Israeli prime minister’s criticism of Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood may have pushed Canberra to act. “It’s welcome that after the prime minister’s intervention, these actions were taken,” the spokesperson said.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke rejected that claim. “Complete nonsense,” he said. “There was not a minute between us receiving this assessment and working through our response.”
Court hears case tied to Melbourne synagogue fire
A 20-year-old man appeared in court in Melbourne on Wednesday in connection with the synagogue fire that caused millions of dollars in damage and destroyed sacred texts. Two other suspects have also been charged.
Burke said the individuals were unlikely to have known they were acting under Iranian direction, but added that this did not diminish the seriousness of the case.
