Most important points
- The Iranian ambassador’s post on X was branded “abhorrent, hateful and anti-Semitic” by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
- Some Iranian Australians fear the words could lead to accusations of anti-Semitism against their community.
- Some community members and politicians are calling for the Iranian ambassador to be declared “persona non grata.”
The Iranian ambassador’s recent comments about “wiping out” Israel have been condemned by Australian politicians and labelled a “direct threat to security” by some Iranian Australians.
In a post on X, Ahmad Sadeghi called Israel “the Zionist plague” and called for Israel’s removal from “the holy lands of Palestine” by 2027.
Some Iranian Australians are concerned that these words could lead to accusations of anti-Semitism against the entire community.
“What he said is absolutely anti-Semitic,” Suren Edgar, vice-chair of the Australian Iranian Community Alliance (AICA), told SBS Persian.
“This [post] does not represent the whole community, but other communities may not know this. They may think that the ambassador represents the whole country.”
‘A threat to Australia’s security’
Since October 7, 2023, the number There has been a sharp increase in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents in Australia.
According to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), antisemitic incidents in Australia increased by 591 percent on November 7, 2023, compared to the previous year. The Islamophobia Register Australia also recorded 133 incidents between October 7 and November 6, 2023, a significant increase from the previous average of 2.5 incidents per week.
Nearly a month after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, at least 10 people have been arrested in Victoria on charges of anti-Semitism or Islamophobia. The Age reported at the time that “police received an average of three reports of Islamophobic and anti-Semitic behaviour a day”.
Following these reports, the Labour government has launched its first for social cohesion to report directly to the Prime Minister on improvements.
Edgar, who is also a board member of the Multicultural Community Council of South Australia (MCCSA), said the ambassador role would reinforce “stereotypes” against the community and create “more challenges” for Iranian Australians.
“In a multicultural society like Australia, these kinds of statements can have unpleasant consequences,” he said.
“When I read these comments [from the ambassador]as a member of the community, I felt a threat to the community and the safety of Australia. I’m sure this angered many of us. We are all fighting against a lot of propaganda, and now we should be working harder to show that we are the [Iranian] government.
“Some of us have children in schools with friends from different backgrounds, some of us have colleagues from other communities… and what happened will affect them.”
Calls for Iranian diplomat to be declared ‘persona non grata’
In a statement, AICA called for the resignation of Iran’s ambassador to Australia.
“We demand the immediate expulsion of the Iranian ambassador from Australia. The ambassador’s egregious comments are not only unacceptable but also pose a direct threat to the security and harmony of our multicultural society,” the report said.
“It would be a grave mistake to allow such a person to remain in Australia. It would be a disservice to the values of peace and respect that we hold dear.”
AUSIRAN, another Iranian-Australian community organisation, reiterated similar demands in a letter to the prime minister.
The letter said the ambassador’s latest comments “pose a significant threat to community harmony and national security.”
“These statements are, in effect, an endorsement of the genocide of Jews in Israel, made from the privileged position of an official diplomatic platform in Canberra,” the report said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday that Ambassador Sadeghi had been “summoned” to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, describing his comments as “abhorrent, hateful and anti-Semitic.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Ambassador Sadeghi had been “summoned” to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Source: MONKEY / Lucas Coch
“I will make it clear: there is no place for the comments made by the Iranian ambassador on social media,” Albanese said.
“We have made our position clear and unequivocal to the Iranian ambassador. We want him to know that it is completely inappropriate for him to behave in this way.”
The opposition has called on the Labor Party government to take action against the ambassador.
“This weak response cannot and must not be the end of the matter,” Shadow Foreign Secretary Simon Birmingham told SBS Persian.
His actions have no place in Australia, and it is becoming increasingly clear that neither does he.
Simon Birmingham, Shadow Foreign Secretary
“There are options available under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention to declare a foreign diplomat persona non grata at any time without any explanation being necessary. The horrific hatred that Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi is spreading should make him unwelcome in our country.”
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Canberra told SBS Persian in a statement that “contrary to the impression given by some well-known pro-Israel lobbies and political circles”, the Iranian ambassador’s comment about X “has nothing to do with the Jewish people, anti-Semitism or the expression of hate speech or violent expressions”.
“The best way to achieve a peaceful solution to the Palestinian issue and end more than 75 years of occupation and apartheid in the land of Palestine is to hold an international referendum in which all Palestinians (including Arab Muslims, Christians and Jews) vote on the form of a state representing the nation of Palestine,” the embassy said.
A general view of the Iranian embassy in Canberra. Source: MONKEY / Lucas Coch
In May 2020, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called Israel a “cancerous tumor” that “will undoubtedly be eradicated and destroyed” in an annual speech.
Following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran on July 31, there are growing concerns about the escalation of the 10-month-old conflict in the Middle East.
Israel has not acknowledged responsibility for the killing. Iranian officials, however, have blamed Israel and vowed to respond.
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