Australia Designates Iran’s IRGC as First State Sponsor of Terrorism

Darwin, 27 November –

Australia has designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a state sponsor of terrorism, Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced on Thursday. This is the first time since World War II that Australia has listed a foreign state entity under such a category.

The decision follows intelligence findings that linked the IRGC to coordinated attacks targeting Australia’s Jewish community. Authorities alleged that Iran directed two antisemitic arson attacks carried out in Sydney and Melbourne last August, prompting Canberra to order Tehran’s ambassador to leave the country within seven days.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier revealed that the IRGC was behind the October 2024 arson attack at Louise Continental Kitchen in Sydney and the December 2024 attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne.

According to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the IRGC operated through “a sophisticated network of proxies” to conduct the attacks, aiming to harm Jewish Australians, instil fear, and create social division.

In response, the government passed the Criminal Code Amendment (State Sponsors of Terrorism) Act 2025, establishing a new legal framework for taking action against foreign state bodies involved in terrorism. Under this framework, the IRGC has become the first entity to be officially listed as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Source: Economic Times