Iran’s ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi praises Hassan Nasrallah as ‘remarkable leader’

The Iranian ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi has lauded slain Hezbollah leader despite his decades-long reign of terror in the Middle East.

Iran’s ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi and, inset, Hassan Nasrallah.

The Iranian ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi has remembered slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a “remarkable leader” and a “prominent standard-bearer”, despite his decades-long reign of terror in the Middle East.

In a social media post on Sunday, the day Nasrallah was killed, Mr Sadeghi said the “blessed martyr”, who was a designated terrorist around the world had a dignified path to heaven and described his leadership as an ongoing struggle against “the vile entity of the Zionist regime”.

“Following the martyrdom of Sayyed (sir) Hassan Nasrallah, the honourable Secretary-General of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Islamic Resistance Front and the Muslim world have lost a great personality, a prominent standard-bearer, and a remarkable leader,” Mr Sadeghi wrote. “However, his path in the struggle against the oppression and occupation of the criminal Zionist regime will continue to have many followers.

“Undoubtedly, the path of this blessed martyr in the struggle against the tyrants and oppressors of the time will endure and bear fruit, and the vile entity of the Zionist regime will not remain triumphant or complacent from this crime.

“Martyrdom is the dignified path of such great men, and nothing else can be expected from them,” he said.

A spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has condemned the comments of the Iranian top diplomat, while the Coalition called for him to be expelled.

Ms Wong’s office said Australia had maintained a diplomatic relationship with Iran “continuously since 1968” and that this was not an endorsement of the nation’s regime but because it was in Australia’s national interest to do so.

“In all of that time, it has never been an endorsement of the regime, it is a channel to protect Australia’s interests and to communicate the views of Australia and our close partners,” the spokesperson said.

Despite this, Senator Wong hit back against Mr Sadeghi’s comments.

“The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have made clear that the government condemns any support for terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah,“ the spokesperson said.

“We condemn the Ambassador’s comments.“

The comments led to a rebuke from the opposition’s foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham, who called on the top Iranian diplomat to be expelled.

“The Iranian ambassador may enjoy diplomatic privileges but he is still a guest in our country and it’s time for the invitation to be withdrawn,” Mr Birmingham said.

“All previous ‘talkings to’ by the Albanese government have been woefully ineffective.”

Mr Birmingham said Australia should not tolerate a foreign ambassador “spreading hate speech” and demanded Ms Wong “show leadership”.

“We should not tolerate a foreign ambassador spreading hate speech and celebrating terrorists on our shores.”

Mr Birmingham said all previous conversations by Labor have been “woefully ineffective” as Mr Sadeghi was summoned by the Australian government in August for anti-Semitic social media posts, in which he described Israel as a Zionist plague.

“The time for Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong to show leadership by declaring the Iranian ambassador persona non grata is now,” he said.

The top diplomat in Australia has previously come under intense scrutiny after he called Israel a “genocidal regime” and called for the “wiping out” of the “Zionist plague” by 2027. He later denied the remarks were anti-Semitic and described the government’s backlash as “unpleasant and unfair reactions.”

The Australian has approached the ambassador and the embassy in Canberra for comment.