Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador on Tuesday, accusing the country of being behind antisemitic arson attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.

It marks the first time Australia has expelled an ambassador since World War II.

Intelligence services reached the “deeply disturbing conclusion” that Iran directed at least two antisemitic attacks, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Tehran was behind the torching of a kosher cafe in Sydney’s Bondi suburb in October 2024, the prime minister told a news conference.

It also directed a major arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December 2024, he said, citing the intelligence findings.

No injuries were reported in the two attacks.

“These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” Albanese said.

“They were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community.”

Australia declared Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi “persona non grata” and ordered him and three other officials to leave the country within seven days.

Australia also withdrew its own ambassador to Iran and suspended operations at the embassy in Tehran, which opened in 1968.

The Australian diplomats were all “safe in a third country”, the prime minister said.

Australia will also legislate to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, Albanese said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it was the first time in the post-war period that Australia had expelled an ambassador.

Canberra will maintain diplomatic lines with Iran to advance the interests of Australians, Wong said.

Though Australians have been advised not to travel through Iran since 2020, Wong said Canberra’s ability to provide consular assistance was now “extremely limited”.

“I do know that many Australians have family connections in Iran, but I urge any Australian who might be considering travelling to Iran, please do not do so,” she said.

“Our message is, if you are an Australian in Iran, leave now if it is safe to do so.”