On Tuesday, Australia declared the Iranian ambassador in Canberra as “Persona Nongrata,” and ordered him and three other Iranian diplomats to leave the country within seven days, but also halted its own embassy operation in Tehran.
Australia has accused Iran of citing unfounded claims of inciting anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. The Australian government has declared the Iranian ambassador in Canberra as a Persona non-grata and, together with three other Iranian officials, gave a seven-day deadline to depart the country.
Additionally, the Australian Prime Minister announced the suspension of his country’s embassy activities in Tehran, relocating diplomats to a third country.
Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said inappropriate actions in the diplomatic field would be met with interactions from Iran. Authorities are now considering the issue and deciding on an appropriate response.
He emphasized that the accusations of “anti-Semitism” are completely unfounded, noting that such concepts do not exist in Iranian culture, history or religion, and that they are fundamentally Western and European phenomena. Historical persecution of Jews is primarily a matter of Europe, and Europeans must answer in the past.
A spokesperson suggested that Australia’s recent decision appears to be affected by internal development, including widespread protests in Australia against Palestinian genocide.
MNA/