Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neil has made the stunning admission that this kind of foreign interference is now a bigger domestic threat than terrorism.
“This is an urgent priority of the government. Our security agencies are really focused on this problem,” the minister told 60 Minutes.
Iran’s persistent campaign to stop dissent against the regime globally has intensified in the past year.
In September last year, 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini was arrested in Iran by the morality police for wearing an improper hijab. She was accused of wearing it too loosely.
Three days after the arrest, still in police custody, Amini died.
Her death triggered a wave of protests around the world, with advocates believing Amini was beaten up at the hands of authorities. Consequently, this put Iran’s oppressive regime at the centre of the discourse.
For decades, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps terrorised Iranians in the country. But since last year’s protests, they have been operating on foreign soil – including Australia – targeting anyone who spoke out against the regime.
Sydney resident Tina Kordrostami claims she was stalked and intimidated by their foreign operatives.
Read the report from 60 Minutes.