Kick Iranian Ambassador out or risk anti-Semitic attacks, former top US official warns Anthony Albanese

A former US official who helped advise recovery efforts after 9/11 has demanded Anthony Albanese kick out the Iranian ambassador, warning the diplomat’s comments about Israel risked inciting antisemitic attacks in Australia.

The Prime Minister claims his reaction — to have Canberra bureaucrats rebuke the Ambassador — is acting “responsibly in Australia’s national interest”.

Last week, Ahmad Sadeghi, Iran’s top diplomat in Canberra said in a tweet that Israel was a “zionist plague” and urged that Israelis be wiped out of Palestine by 2027.

Mr Albanese has described the comments as abhorrent and hateful and said that they have no place.

But he has restricted his response to a diplomatic rebuke, delivered by officials in Canberra.

Mark Wallace, a former US diplomat who served as legal counsel to the 9/11 recovery efforts said the Australian government’s actions did not go far enough.

Speaking exclusively to The Nightly in his role as CEO of United Against Nuclear Iran, a bipartisan, US-based NGO that campaigns to stop Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, he said the Ambassador’s comments were dangerous and a risk to the Australian public.

“Iran’s regime is the leading state-sponsor of antisemitism and these dangerous comments warrant more than a summons and a statement from the Australian government,” Mr Wallace said.

“They incite and increase the risk of antisemitic attacks in Australia.

“The Iranian Ambassador to Australia should be declared persona non grata.

“More generally, at a time when Iranian operatives have engaged in transnational repression targeting the Iranian diaspora across Australia, the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic presence should be downgraded in the country.”

Mr Wallace previously served in the Bush Administration and as US Ambassador to the UN exposed corruption in North Korea, including the Cash for Kim scandal.

North Korea has joined with Iran in arming Russia’s war effort against Ukraine, which Australia opposes.

The so-called Axis of Authoritarians also includes China which has deepened its relationship with Russia as a result of President Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion.

Iran, which wants to wipe Israel from the map, backs Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen, who have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea claiming to be protesting against the current conflict in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’ October 7 attacks.

But on Thursday, Mr Albanese doubled down on his decision not to expel the Iranian Ambassador, who enjoys diplomatic immunity, saying it was important to maintain relations.

“It’s also important that we have relations in Australia’s interests and we continue to do that whilst condemning the comments that have been made,” Mr Albanese told Sky.

This week ASIO raised the terror threat level from ‘possible’ to ‘probable’ and spy boss Mike Burgess directly cited the online polarisation over the war in Gaza as a reason.

Standing alongside the prime minister at a press conference in Parliament House, Mr Burgess said the threat posed to Australia was across the board.

“The conflict has fuelled grievances, promoted protest, exacerbated division, undermined social cohesion and elevated intolerance,” he said.

“After the 7th of October, I warned that inflamed language could lead to inflamed community tensions. Unfortunately, this is what’s playing out.”

The federal opposition has said if it were in government it would have ordered the Iranian Ambassador to pack his bags, saying his comments could violate Australia’s hate speech laws, if his diplomatic immunity.