One of Iran’s former top diplomats in Australia has defected from the theocratic regime, with the revelations only coming to light this week after six members of the Iranian women’s football squad were granted protection.
London-based news outlet Iran International, which is not tied to the Islamic Republic’s regime, reported on Friday that Mohammad Pournajaf, Tehran’s charge d’affaires in Canberra until at least 2023, had applied for asylum. Another Iranian diplomat had applied for asylum in Denmark, the outlet reported.
Guardian Australia has confirmed with a government source that Pournajaf had been in Australia from 2018 but had not sought protection until 2023. He has since been granted asylum.
Pournajaf remained the embassy’s charge d’affaires until at least early 2023, having hosted the 44th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic revolution where he reportedly praised the regime’s achievements.
Pournajaf had previously served as Iran’s ambassador to Zimbabwe and as a representative to the United Nations.
The former diplomat’s defection is not related to the current conflict, the government source said.
Iran’s most recent former ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, was expelled along other diplomats and embassy staff in August last year after the Albanese government accused Tehran of being behind two antisemitic arson attacks.
Sadeghi has denied allegations his government was behind two antisemitic arson attacks in Australia, describing the accusations as “baseless”. There was no accusation current Iranian diplomats or embassy staff were involved.
Asio said it had “credible intelligence” that Iran’s paramilitary wing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was ultimately behind two attacks in 2024 – one on Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Bondi and another on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne. There were no injuries in either attack.
Asio said the IRGC had planned and funded the attacks through a series of intermediaries, including organised crime figures, but said it was “likely” Iran was behind more antisemitic attacks on Australian soil.
A total of seven members of the Iranian women’s football quad were granted humanitarian visas in Australia but one changed her mind, the home affairs minister, Tony Burke confirmed on Thursday.
The group – who were given temporary humanitarian visas offering a pathway to permanent residency – have already been given an offer to train with A-League Women club Brisbane Roar.
The remainder of the travelling squad arrived in Malaysia early Wednesday morning after flying out from Sydney, Agence France-Presse photos at Kuala Lumpur international airport showed.
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