Australia on Thursday designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a state sponsor of terrorism, marking the first such listing under counter-terrorism legislation passed in response to Iranian-directed attacks on the country’s Jewish community.
The designation follows intelligence assessments that the IRGC orchestrated antisemitic arson attacks on Sydney’s Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in October 2024 and Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue in December 2024.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong called the attacks “unprecedented and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” speaking in a joint press release on Thursday, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke calling the IRGC listing a direct response to the “despicable actions of the Iranian Government.”
Australia expelled Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and three other Iranian diplomats on Aug. 26, giving them seven days to leave and suspending operations at its embassy in Tehran. Iran downgraded diplomatic ties in response.
The listing makes it a criminal offense punishable by up to 25 years imprisonment to provide support to, associate with, or recruit for the IRGC.
“The Government is committed to ensuring our counter-terrorism laws are robust and as effective as possible. That’s why we acted swiftly and decisively to pass legislation to enable the listing of foreign state entities as state sponsors of terrorism,” Attorney General Michelle Rowland said in the joint statement.
“These reforms make it more difficult, more risky, and more costly for malicious foreign actors to seek to cause Australia and our community harm,” she continued.
