Key points
- Iran’s ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, praised the slain Hezbollah leader in a social media post.
- On Friday, opposition leader Peter Dutton called on the government to remove Sadeghi from his position.
- AICA backs Dutton’s call, saying Sadeghi’s comments constitute “hate crimes.”
An Iranian-Australian community group has backed the opposition leader .
In an open letter to Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Australian Iranian Community Alliance (AICA) vice-president Suren Edgar expressed concerns about diplomatic cooperation with Iran’s ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi.
Why is Sadeghi facing calls for deportation?
Sadeghi praised in a post on social media platform X on September 29. Nasrallah was killed on September 27 in an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Sadeghi said the leader of the Lebanese militant group was a “great personality, an excellent standard-bearer and an exceptional leader.”
He also said that his “path in the fight against the oppression and occupation of criminal Zionism will continue.”
On Friday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called for Sadeghi to be removed from his post, telling reporters that the ambassador’s comments were “completely contrary to what is in the best interests of our country.”
“Do I think the Iranian ambassador should be expelled from our country? Should he be persona non grata? Absolutely, he should,” he said.
In his letter to Wong, Edgar wrote that Sadeghi’s comments about Nasrallah, as well as comments he made in August calling Israel a “Zionist scourge,” showed evidence of “the Islamic Republic’s adoption of extremist agendas and its complicated ties with Hezbollah”. .
He said Australia’s diplomatic contacts with representatives of the Islamic Republic in Iran, especially in light of Sadeghi’s recent comments, “not only threaten regional stability, but are also contrary to the values we uphold as a nation committed to commitment to global peace and security”.
Referring to the display of Hezbollah flags at recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations, Edgar also warned they were a “stark indication of the spread of these dangerous ideologies in Australian society”.
The letter called on Wong to publicly clarify Australia’s relations with Iran, as well as a strategy to address the ambassador’s comments and “the public advocacy of terrorism”.
Speaking to SBS News, Edgar said AICA supports Dutton’s call for the Australian government to remove Sadeghi from his position.
He said the ambassador’s comments constitute “hate speech,” and he feels frustrated that he has not seen more serious consequences for his statements.
“We need our government to take strong action because we believe that as a multicultural community this is against our values,” he said.
Edgar said he is concerned Sadeghi’s comments will be misinterpreted as representative of all Iranians in Australia.
“It is not easy to imagine that our neighbor, classmate or colleague thinks that the ambassador’s position or hate speech will be interpreted as a position of the entire community.”
Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Justin Bassi told SBS News the government has the power to oust Sadeghi.
“If the Australian government believes that the diplomat is acting in a way that is not in our national interest, then the government can of course decide who will be given diplomatic cover to enter and remain in Australia.”
The Australian government’s response
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday the government “condemns any support for terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah” but that it was not in Australia’s national interest to oust the ambassador.
Albanese said Australia’s relationship with Iran has continued “not because we agree with the regime, but because it is in Australia’s national interest”.
SBS News understands Sadeghi was also summoned to a meeting with the chief of protocol at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, where he was reminded of his obligation to respect Australian law and told to stay out of domestic affairs.
Edgar said these meetings may not be enough to deter Sadeghi from making similar comments in the future.
“He only supports the ideology of the Islamic Republic, and he supports the ideology of terrorist organizations, and supports the terrorist leaders,” he said.
“If he is brave enough to do it in public, it means we have a very weak policy here. So call him and talk to him, that won’t work, ever.”
Australian ambassador summoned to Tehran
Over the weekend, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned Australia’s ambassador to Tehran over what it said was his country’s biased attitude toward Iran’s attack on Israel, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.
Ian McConville was called out because of his country’s repeated prejudices, the report said, including over Iran’s response to what it called “the Zionist regime,” meaning Israel.
The Australian embassy in Tehran did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on Sunday.
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