The Coalition is demanding Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi be immediately expelled after he described a slain terrorist leader as a “martyr”.
In a lengthy post on X on Sunday, Mr Sadeghi praised Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah — who was killed by an Israeli airstrike on the weekend — as a “blessed martyr” who had opposed the “vile entity of the Zionist regime”.
He described him as a “figure of greatness, a prominent flagbearer, and an unparalleled leader”.
It’s not the first time Mr Sadeghi has written incendiary social media posts, having previously referred to Israelis as a “Zionist plague” that needed to be “wiped out”.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton issued a test to the Prime Minister, demanding swift action be taken.
“Do I think the Iranian Ambassador should be expelled from our country? Should he be persona non grata? Absolutely, he should,” Mr Dutton said.
“He’s been warned by the Government before, and the Prime Minister has to start showing some strength of leadership and some character here in standing up for what is right.
“The comments from the Iranian ambassador are completely and utterly at odds with what is in our country’s best interests, and the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister should show the strength of character and expel him from our country.”
The Government has said it maintains a diplomatic relationship with Iran because it is in the national interest, not because Australia endorses the Iranian regime.
Labor minister Amanda Rishworth, appearing on a Sunrise political panel, condemned the comments as “completely abhorrent”.
“(For) any government that has kept those diplomatic relationships, it is clear it is not an endorsement of the regime. It is about pursuing our national interests,” she said.
Her panel mate, deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the ambassador’s comments “don’t sound very diplomatic to me”.
“This individual should be called in. He should have his credentials removed and should be sent home. It is a test for the Foreign (Affairs) Minister (Penny Wong), and it is a test for the Prime Minister,” she said.
https://thewest.com.au/politics/federal-politics/expel-him-coalition-calls-for-iranian-ambassador-to-be-kicked-out-of-australia-c-16275375
