Iran on Thursday condemned Australia's listing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a state sponsor of terrorism, calling it a politically motivated and unjustified move.
"This irresponsible action is in line with the gross error that the Australian government committed based on completely false and fabricated accusations by the security institutions of the Zionist regime (Israel)," Iran's foreign ministry said in a statement on its Telegram channel.
Earlier in the day, Canberra officially designated IRGC as a state sponsor of terrorism after intelligence linked the group to attacks on Jewish centers in Sydney and Melbourne.
In August, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese publicly accused the IRGC of orchestrating arson attacks on the Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Sydney in October 2024 and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December 2024.
Iran's foreign ministry in its statement alleged that Australian police had already acknowledged “there is no evidence” linking Iran to the attacks.
The Australian government responded to the attacks by passing the Criminal Code Amendment (State Sponsors of Terrorism) Act 2025, which creates a new framework allowing the Government to respond to state-sponsored terrorism.
Domestic spy agency the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) assessed that the IRGC used a “complex web of proxies” to carry out attacks on Australian soil.
"Iran's attacks were unprecedented and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil, which is why we are listing the IRCG as a state sponsor of terrorism," Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Thursday. "It has no place in Australia.
Australia’s move follows similar terrorism listings of the IRGC by the United States in 2019 and Canada in 2024.
