Tehran slams anti-Iran allegations by Australian PM at UN as mere ‘blatant lie’

Iran has rejected allegations by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that Tehran was behind two alleged anti-Semitic attacks in Australia, calling the claims a “blatant lie” and an attempt to deflect attention from Israel's actions in Gaza.

Ali Asghar Mohammadi, assistant to Iran’s foreign minister and director-general for Asia and Oceania at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, on Thursday dismissed Albanese’s statements delivered at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday as “baseless” and a “clear act of deflection.”

Albanese, in his speech to the UN, accused Iran of being behind the firebombing of a synagogue in Melbourne and a Jewish restaurant in Sydney. In late August, he ordered the expulsion of Iran’s ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, along with three other Iranian diplomats, citing the same allegations.

Iran promptly rejected the accusations at the time, asserting that Canberra was weaponizing anti-Semitism to justify a diplomatic rift.

On Thursday, Mohammadi reiterated Tehran’s position, condemning Australia’s actions as “submission to the demands of the Zionist regime” and an effort to distract public discourse from “the genocide taking place in occupied Palestine” as well as widespread opposition to Israeli policies among Australians.

Mohammadi characterized Australia’s move to sever diplomatic ties with Iran as “ill-considered” and unacceptable, insisting it was grounded in unfounded claims about Iran’s alleged targeting of the Jewish community in Australia.

“We regard the Australian government’s actions as a deliberate attempt to undermine longstanding bilateral relations,” he said. “This approach seeks to divert attention from the ongoing human rights abuses in Palestine and the legitimate, widespread opposition to these crimes within Australia.”

Iran downgrades diplomatic ties with Australia in tit-for-tat move

Iran has reduced the level of Australia’s diplomatic presence in Tehran in response to Canberra’s decision to downgrade diplomatic relations, the spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.

In retaliation, Iran has downgraded Australia’s diplomatic presence in Tehran. Mohammadi described Canberra’s decision to reduce diplomatic ties as “utterly unjustifiable,” suggesting it "reflects the influence of elements within the Australian government swayed by the insinuations and pressure of the Zionist regime”.

He called on Australian officials to reconsider what he described as a “misguided decision,” warning that Canberra would bear full responsibility for any repercussions, particularly the impact on the Iranian community residing in Australia.

Rejecting the accusations of anti-Semitism leveled against Tehran, Mohammadi pointed out that anti-Semitism is historically a Western and European phenomenon, which has been increasingly misused in recent years to silence criticism of Israel’s occupation, apartheid policies, and military actions against Palestinians.

Last month, Albanese and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu became embroiled in a diplomatic dispute after the Australian prime minister announced that Australia would formally recognize Palestinian statehood and decided to cancel a visa for a right-wing Israeli minister’s visit to Australia.

In response, Israel canceled visas for Australian diplomats assigned to the Palestinian Authority, while Netanyahu launched a sharp attack on Albanese, calling him a “weak leader.”

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