Australians have been warned that covert agents linked to Iran have infiltrated the country and are attempting to sow discontent within the community. Kambiz 'Kam' Razmara from the Australian Iranian Society of Victoria said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps uses proxy networks and indirect methods to repress, intimidate and influence diaspora communities, including Iranian Australians.

Australia formally designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a state sponsor of terrorism in November after expelling Iran’s ambassador over alleged involvement in attacks on Jewish targets in Sydney and Melbourne. These incidents included the firebombing of a synagogue in Melbourne and an arson attack on a restaurant in Sydney, marking the first expulsion of an ambassador by Australia since the Second World War.

Security experts say such activities are part of so called grey zone aggression, where foreign states use non military tactics such as disinformation and online influence campaigns to foment discord. Community leaders and analysts are urging the federal government to provide clearer public guidance, publish de identified enforcement data, and invest in information literacy and digital safety programs to help Australians identify and respond to foreign interference.