Australia has formally designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a state sponsor of terrorism, after intelligence agencies concluded the Tehran-backed force orchestrated antisemitic arson attacks on Jewish institutions in Sydney and Melbourne.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the move followed an Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) assessment tying the IRGC to two attacks: the firebombing of Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney in October 2024, and the arson attack that gutted Melbourne’s Adass Israel shul two months later.

“These cowardly attacks on Australian soil were designed to undermine and sow division in our multicultural society,” the Foreign Ministry said. “They targeted Jewish Australians to inflict harm and stoke fear.”

The IRGC is the first entity to be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism under legislation enacted earlier this year. The designation carries sweeping legal consequences.

Under Division 110 of the Australian Criminal Code, it is now a criminal offense to direct the activities of the IRGC, be a member of it, associate with its members, recruit for or train with it, or provide funding or support in any form

Violations are punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

The Foreign Ministry said the listing “puts members of the public on notice” that any dealings with the IRGC are now criminal, calling the step “an important deterrent and disruption to terrorist activity” and a reminder that “terrorism does not stop at our borders.”

Australia already expelled Iran’s ambassador in August — the first such diplomatic expulsion since World War II — after publicly accusing Tehran of directing the shul and restaurant attacks. The Adass Israel attack was described by police as a “likely terrorist incident” and left large sections of the building destroyed.

The attacks rattled Jewish communities nationwide and were described by intelligence officials as part of a broader Iranian strategy to intimidate diaspora communities and destabilize Western democracies.

Iran’s intelligence services and the IRGC have long been linked to terror plots abroad targeting Jewish institutions, diplomats, and Israeli civilians, including operations in Sweden, Germany, Cyprus, Argentina, and Bulgaria.

Australia’s action comes months after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a blistering letter to Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, accusing his government of failing to confront antisemitism amid escalating threats and attacks.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)