The Australian Government has taken a decisive step by expelling the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ambassador and moving to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. Today, we urge New Zealand government to follow suit.

The IRGC has long operated with impunity, carrying out extrajudicial activities across the globe. To defend its ideology, it is prepared to hurt anyone, anywhere. We have already seen signs of foreign interference in New Zealand, as confirmed in the 2023 NZSIS report, which explicitly identified the Islamic Republic of Iran as one of the three states engaged in such activities here.

Expelling the ambassador and designating the IRGC as a terrorist entity is not only about standing in solidarity with the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom and justice; it is also about protecting New Zealand’s own sovereignty and security. The regime has demonstrated, time and again, its willingness to silence dissent and target its critics far beyond its borders.

New Zealand must send a clear and unequivocal message: there is no place for agents of repression or state-sponsored terror here. Anything less risks exposing our country to the very threats we have long been warned about.

We call on the Government to act with urgency and moral clarity — as Australia has done — and take immediate steps to expel the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ambassador and list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation under New Zealand law.

It is time for New Zealand to stand firmly on the side of justice, human rights, and security.

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