Australia revealed, yesterday, that it thwarted an Iranian espionage operation that took place on its soil during demonstrations in solidarity with the protest movement that erupted after the killing of the young woman, Machsa Amini, in September of last year.
Home Secretary Claire O'Neill said an Iranian-Australian activist involved in the protests was a target of Iranian espionage.
"It is perfectly legal for anyone in Australia to criticize a foreign regime, as tens of thousands across the country have done in response," she said in a speech at the Australian National University about events in Iran.
She emphasized that "what we absolutely do not tolerate, under any circumstances, are the attempts of foreign regimes to disrupt peaceful demonstrations, encourage violence or silence opinions."
O'Neill said that Tehran was caught spying on the family of the Iranian-Australian protester, without going into further details, adding: "We will not stand by and leave Australians, or even visitors to our country, watched or persecuted by foreign governments on our soil."
These statements are of particular importance given that the Australian government often avoids accusing countries of spying, while Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the United States and Israel in October of inciting the protests.
The Iranian authorities emphasized that hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, were killed during the protests, which have weakened in intensity in recent weeks, and thousands of Iranians have been arrested, including well-known artists, lawyers and journalists.