Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps directed two fires set at Jewish targets in Sydney and Melbourne, AP News reported in June 2026. The attacks were carried out by people who had previously lived in Australia.

Australia responded quickly. The government accused Iran of planning the attacks and asked Iran's ambassador to leave the country within a week, Reuters reported in August 2025. This is a serious step—stronger than a formal complaint but less drastic than cutting off all relations.

How did investigators catch them? The key was following the money, not the communications. Mike Burgess, the head of Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), explained that Iran used intermediaries to hide who was really in charge. But they left a financial trail. Money transfers are harder to hide than phone calls or emails. Reuters reported this in August 2025.

Why Use People Already in Australia?

Iran deliberately chose people who had lived in Australia before. These operatives knew the cities, understood local routines, and could blend in—advantages a foreign agent parachuted in would not have. For a covert operation, that local knowledge makes everything easier.

The use of intermediaries is a standard technique. Intelligence services place people in the middle to obscure the chain of command. But money is hard to hide. Financial records became the thread that unraveled the entire network.

What Happens Now?

Asking an ambassador to leave is a strong signal, but it is not the harshest response. It tells Iran: we know what you did, and we are not happy. But it also leaves the door slightly open for future talks.

These attacks fit a larger pattern. Since October 2023, Iran has been running intimidation campaigns against Jewish communities in Western countries. Australia was historically a lower-priority target, so it was surprising that Iran chose to operate there. The IRGC apparently thought Australian security services would not notice or respond. They were wrong.

Australia has now publicly explained how the attack was organized. This is a deliberate move—it shows other countries and intelligence agencies the exact method Iran used, making it harder for Iran to use the same approach again. The question now is how Iran will respond. In the past, they have sometimes pulled back temporarily before trying new tactics through different networks.