A senate committee looking into the human rights violations in Iran has been told the situation is “deeply concerning”.
DFAT’s Marc Innes-Brown told the committee that the ongoing unrest, including public executions, had led to a difficult relationship between Australia and Iran.
“It’s obviously been a very dark few months in Iran,” the first assistant secretary for the Middle East Africa and Afghanistan division said.
DFAT acting first assistant secretary for regulatory and legal policy Lindsey Buckingham would not say whether the government was considering classifying the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
“The question of the listing, as you’ve noted, is a matter for the Attorney General’s department,” Buckingham said.
“We do work across government on a range of issues on policy issues, but I can’t speak in more detail about whether a listing may or may not be under consideration at this point.”
The United States classified the IRGC as a terrorist organisation in April 2019, although the United Nations has yet to do so.
DFAT officials also told the committee allowing Iran to continue to have a diplomatic mission in Australia was an important channel of communication to keep open, particularly during heightened tensions.
Read the article By Anna Macdonald in The Mandarin.