TEHRAN – A formal government investigation in Australia’s New South Wales state has completely exonerated the Islamic Republic of Iran of any involvement in a series of “anti-Semitic attacks” and exposed the baseless nature of the accusations that led the city of Canberra to expel Iran’s ambassador in August.
The findings, announced during a parliamentary question and answer session, related to NSW Police’s Strike Force Pearl, which investigated 14 serious attacks on Jewish property and premises. In a clear and unequivocal response to questioning, police said they “do not have any information” relating to Iran or its operatives who carried out the incident.
The findings revealed that 13 of the 14 attacks were carried out by “people associated with and funded by organized crime figures.” Only one incident was classified as “genuine homegrown anti-Semitic ideology” and involved two people who allegedly made threatening and anti-Semitic remarks during a livestreamed conversation about a Jewish patient at a hospital. They were charged with using a horse-drawn carriage service to threaten violence, but ultimately had no connection to Iran.
In August, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gave Iran’s ambassador seven days to leave the country, saying Australian intelligence had linked Iran to the Sydney cafe arson attack in October last year and the Melbourne synagogue arson attack in December. He provided no evidence for his claims.
Iran condemned the move, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai saying anti-Semitism was a “Western phenomenon”. “If we look at history, the persecution of Jews for religious reasons is a problem rooted in Europe, and it is the Jews who have to bear responsibility for their historical past, which continues to this day,” Bagai said.
Analysts saw Canberra’s unprecedented decision as an attempt to placate Israel and Australia’s Zionist lobby, enraged by Albanians’ decision to recognize Palestinian statehood. At a press conference, Albanese announced an escalating move against Iran and said he would next designate Iran’s most powerful military wing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), as a terrorist organization.