Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced new Australian sanctions targeting Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps over violent repression of protesters, SBS reports.
The move aligns Australia with Western allies but raises questions about consistency in Australian foreign policy.
Australia has imposed sanctions on 20 Iranian individuals and 3 entities, effective Tuesday. The three organizations targeted are the Cyber Defence Command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC Quds Force Unit 840, and the IRGC Intelligence Organisation.
Wong condemned the Iranian regime's "horrific use of violence against its own people," referencing the killing of thousands of Iranians since late December 2025, mass arrests of protesters, and internet blackouts designed to conceal the crackdown's scope.
The measures target senior figures connected to Iran's IRGC who have contributed to: - Iran's nuclear or missile programs - Oppression of women and girls - Broader repression of the Iranian population - Erosion of the rule of law
This action builds on Australia's 2024 decision to designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity. The government has now sanctioned over 200 Iranian individuals and entities across multiple frameworks, with more than 100 linked to the IRGC.
Similar measures were recently imposed by the UK, European Union, and United States, reflecting coordinated international concern over Iran's violent suppression of protests.
But here's the question about consistency. Wong is talking tough on Iran while being considerably more cautious on other human rights issues closer to home. Australia maintains relationships with countries that have serious human rights records when strategic or economic interests are at stake.
The sanctions are largely symbolic - Australia doesn't have massive trade with Iran, and the targeted individuals likely don't have significant Australian assets. But symbolism matters in foreign policy.
What these sanctions actually do is align Australia with the US and European position on Iran, reinforcing Western unity on the issue. That's valuable in its own right, particularly as the Trump administration takes a more confrontational approach to Tehran.
The bigger question is whether sanctions change behavior. Decades of Western sanctions haven't fundamentally altered the Iranian regime's approach to domestic repression or regional policy. But they do impose costs and signal international condemnation.
Mate, Wong is right to call out Iran's brutality against protesters. The question is whether Australia applies the same scrutiny to all human rights abusers, or just the ones where it's politically convenient.
