Iran envoy’s defiant final message praises Australians for Palestinian support

The Ayatollah’s envoy to Can­berra has praised Australians for their support for Palestine against the ‘apartheid and illegitimate Israeli regime’.

Expelled Iranian envoy Ahmad Sadeghi at Sydney airport, where he was assisted and seen off by controversial academic Tim Anderson, right. Picture: Liam Mendes

The Ayatollah’s envoy to Can­berra has praised Australians for their support for Palestine against the “apartheid and genocide illegitimate Israeli regime”, and lamented that “unfortunately in practice” his mission to foster deeper ties had achieved a different result.

In a defiant farewell message after he was expelled from the country over accusations the regime orchestrated attacks targeting the Jewish community, disgraced diplomat Ahmad Sadeghi wished Iran and Australia a “successful future full of pride”.

Mr Sadeghi also bid a “final farewell to the journalists and media figures of Australia”, just hours after he smirked and blew kisses as he pushed through a throng of reporters outside Sydney Airport on his way to board a flight back to Iran on Thursday.

Declaring that he was travelling to his “beloved, dear and proud country Iran”, Mr Sadeghi praised God for his success in the role of ambassador in “enhancing service to the dear Iranian compatriots residing in this country”, according to a translation of his remarks written in Farsi.

“My understanding during this mission period of the Australian people has been their awareness, open-mindedness, and pursuit of justice, especially in paying attention to upholding the rights of the Palestinian nation against the occupation, apartheid, and genocide by the illegitimate Israeli regime in the past two years,” he said on X.

Mr Sadeghi appeared to reflect on his unprecedented expulsion from Canberra, remarking that the guidance and connection he had provided to the Iranian diaspora in Australia would have been a “guiding light for them”, but the “result was otherwise”.

“Undoubtedly, having independence in thinking and practical policies, and a correct understanding and sufficient insight of the decision-makers of the host government could have been a guiding light for them in being appreciative of enjoying and maintaining relations with the independent country and powerful system of Iran,” he said.

“Unfortunately, in practice, the result was otherwise.”

At the airport late on Thursday, Mr Sadeghi met with former University of Sydney academic Tim Anderson, who was sacked over inflammatory social media posts, including one that featured the ­Israeli flag with a Nazi swastika on it, and has had ties with Iran.

Mr Sadeghi told reporters he had had a “wonderful time” in Australia as he prepared to be ejected over Iran’s role in the bombing of Bondi deli, Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, the ­destruction of a Melbourne ­synagogue and potentially many more attacks.

Amid growing fears that the mullahs will take Australians in their country hostage and as the Iranian Foreign Ministry threatens “retaliatory action” over ­Anthony Albanese’s severing of diplomatic ties, Mr Sadeghi said “of course” the nation’s citizens would be safe in his country.

On Friday morning, Mr Albanese dismissed Mr Sadeghi’s claims that Australians would be safe in Iran, declaring the envoy could not be trusted.

“I hope he didn’t slam the door on the way out, because it was a big decision by the government,” he told Channel 9’s Today. “No ambassador has been expelled from Australia in the post war period.

“That says something about how significant this was, but this was an attack on Australian soil orchestrated by a foreign power, completely unacceptable, and we took appropriate, strong action.”

As the Prime Minister faced questions over why it took him so long to declare Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps a terror group, top cyber experts warned Labor and the nation’s businesses to be on alert for a new wave of Iranian-based hacking attacks.

Mr Albanese on Thursday ­defended his government against accusations it failed to act on ­advice delivered years ago to take decisive action against Iran and list the IRGC, blasting the ­Coalition for politicising the issue.

“By Tuesday, we had got our personnel out of Iran, to safety, and had expelled the ambassador here from Australia, along with three other diplomats from the Iranian embassy and we received bipartisan support, I recall, for that action,” Mr Albanese said in question time. “But it appears it didn’t last too long.”

The fiery exchange in question time came hours after Mr Sadeghi made his first public comments since Mr Albanese ­announced he would expel him. Asked whether Iran was behind the arson attacks on the Adass synagogue and Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, as alleged by ASIO and the Australian Federal Police, Mr Sadeghi denied Iran had anything to do with terror on Australian soil. “I love the Australian ­nation,” Mr Sadeghi said, with a large grin on his face. “I had a very wonderful time.”

Asked whether he believed Iran was behind the two attacks, he said: “No Iran. Of course not.”

Mr Sadeghi, wearing a dark suit with an Iranian flag pin, was driven from Canberra to Sydney airport on Thursday afternoon. Earlier, he had waved outside his Canberra home to media and said “bye, bye”.

Before his expulsion, Mr Sadeghi had been called into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on numerous occasions for anti-Semitic comments, having called Israel “a vile entity of the Zionist regime” that he said would soon “end”.

The Albanese government’s move to boot the Iranian ­ambassador from Australia by the end of the week and list the IRGC was met with an ominous threat by the Iranian government. In a statement that expressed regret over the breakdown in diplomatic relations, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran would be “reserving its right to take reciprocal action”.

The ministry also accused Mr Albanese of seeking to divert ­attention from Israel’s “genocide in occupied Palestine”, by levelling allegations of foreign interference against Iran. “The decision (was) unjustifiable and contrary to the tradition of diplomatic relations between the two nations,” it said. “The ministry categorically rejects the accusation of promoting anti-Semitism against Iran and draws the Australian government’s attention to the documented historical reality that anti-Semitism is fundamentally a Western-European phenomenon.”

The ministry said it sought to “remind all supporters and apologists of … atrocities (against Palestinians) of their responsibility”.

“The Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran, while reserving its right to take reciprocal action, calls on the Australian side to reconsider this misguided decision and holds the Australian government accountable for the consequences of the move, including the difficulties it may cause for the educated Iranian community residing in Australia,” it said.