Australia needs a sharper response to Iran

The arrival in Tehran on Monday of Russian Security Council chief Sergei Shoigu, Moscow’s top military adviser, has increased speculation that Iran is preparing for imminent war against Israel. So does the offensive and highly undiplomatic language used in tweets by Tehran’s ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, in calling for “wiping out the Zionist plague out of the holy lands of Palestine … no later than 2027”.

As the Middle East crisis deepens, both developments should remind the Albanese government of the importance to our national interest of Australia’s longstanding close strategic relationship with Israel and why we must do all that we can to oppose Iran’s ambitions. Given the prospect of an attack to avenge last week’s assassination in Tehran of Hamas’s top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, Mr Sadeghi’s blather may seem to be of little consequence. But it reflects the murderous evil that underpins the Tehran ayatollahs’ determination to obliterate Israel and its people. It demands a strong response. Anthony Albanese should think about sending him packing.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong, attending Australia-US Ministerial Consultations meetings in Washington, described Mr Sadeghi’s comments as “repugnant” and “inconsistent with Australia’s values”. But her actions were anodyne: “My department has spoken to the ambassador about these and other issues.” Such outrageous talk by the ambassador of a terrorist-supporting regime about to embark on a war against the Middle East’s only functioning democracy demands a more forthright response. Last month, in contrast, Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts personally reprimanded Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon amid intensifying border clashes in southern Lebanon. Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham rightly has demanded that the government be upfront about whether Mr Sadeghi breached hate speech laws and what action would be taken.

A rift is widening, unfortunately, between the Albanese government and Israel over its war against Iranian terrorist proxy Hamas. The assertion by Israel’s embassy that Senator Wong misrepresented the findings of former defence chief Mark Binskin, her hand-picked adviser on the Israeli drone strike in April that killed Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom, is well founded. Senator Wong was at odds with the Binskin findings when she maintained Ms Frankcom was killed “in an intentional strike by the IDF”. The report unequivocally states the Israel Defence Forces strike was “not knowingly or deliberately directed”.

Senator Wong’s precipitous rush to restore Australian funding to controversial aid agency the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East after it was suspended in January over Israeli claims UNRWA staff played an active role in the slaughter of 1200 Jews on October 7 last year now has been shown to be misguided at best. After a protracted investigation, the UN conceded on Monday that Israel’s claims were largely true. Nine UNRWA staff members, it confirmed, had been sacked for their involvement. That is not far short of Israel’s original claim of 12. Why the Albanese government was keen to rush into resuming its supply of Australian taxpayer dollars to UNRWA is not clear.

Peter Dutton is right to demand that the government reconsider: “We were given assurances upfront that nobody (from UNRWA) was involved in the October 7 atrocities and this (has now been shown) to be a complete breach of faith, people are rightly angry because we’re talking about taxpayers’ dollars here.”

As Israel fights for its survival, morality and our interests demand loyalty to our longstanding alliance with the Jewish state, not playing into the hands of Tehran’s ayatollahs.