A message posted on a Telegram account, promoting a recruitment drive by Tehran’s embassy in Canberra, has sparked significant alarm among Iranian diaspora groups in Australia. One group has even called for the embassy’s closure, while the Australian federal police are now investigating the matter.<\/p>\n
As a conflict approaches its two-month mark, the Iranian embassy’s website and Telegram channel this week featured a message detailing how individuals could register for a voluntary program to “fight for their country.” This initiative, known as the “Janfada”<\/strong> \u2013 meaning “sacrificing life” \u2013 program, has drawn widespread criticism.<\/p>\n The controversial message, which was subsequently removed from both the Telegram account and the embassy’s website after inquiries were sent, has raised serious concerns among diaspora communities regarding the legality and implications of such recruitment activities on Australian soil.<\/p>\n A Farsi translation of the removed message stated: “Due to repeated requests from Iranians living abroad to participate in the \u2018Janfida Campaign\u2019, and due to difficulties accessing domestic websites, access has been made available through the MEKHAK [consular services] system for Iranians who wish to take part in this campaign.” The message then provided clear instructions on how to register to “join the campaign” via the MEKHAK system, which is managed by Iran\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.<\/p>\n Dr. Rana Dadpour, founder of the advocacy group Australian United Solidarity for Iran (AusIran), described the embassy’s promotion of this recruitment initiative in Australia as “unbelievable.” Dadpour reiterated calls for the embassy’s closure, noting that its ambassador had been expelled last year.<\/p>\n Another prominent advocacy group, the Iranian Australian Monarchist Association, voiced “significant legal and national security concerns” over the campaign. Their statement highlighted that “Encouraging or facilitating involvement in a structure linked to a designated terrorist organisation suggests activity beyond a diplomatic mandate and incompatible with Australian law and values.”<\/p>\n Under Australian law, engaging in or preparing for “hostile activity” in a foreign country, unless serving with a foreign government’s armed forces, is a serious offense carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Furthermore, it is illegal to recruit individuals for the Iranian military or any organization involved in hostile activities.<\/p>\n The Australian federal police have confirmed their awareness of the posts and stated, “The AFP will provide an update at an appropriate time.”<\/p>\n Last November, the Australian federal government designated Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a state sponsor of terrorism, citing allegations of its involvement in directing attacks on Australian soil. Iran’s “Janfada” campaign itself was launched last month amidst fears of a potential US ground operation against the Iranian regime, with similar promotional messages appearing from Iranian embassies in other countries, including Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n In August 2025, Australia previously expelled Tehran\u2019s ambassador to Canberra, Ahmad Sadeghi, following findings by the nation\u2019s domestic spy agency, Asio. Asio concluded that Iran had directed at least two antisemitic attacks against Australia\u2019s Jewish community, specifically targeting the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne and Lewis\u2019s Continental Kitchen in Bondi, Sydney.<\/p>\n New laws, enacted in response to Asio\u2019s findings, make it an offense to direct activities of, recruit for, associate with members of, or provide support to a state sponsor of terrorism. An Australian government spokesperson, while not commenting on individual matters, confirmed that the IRGC’s listing as a state sponsor of terrorism renders “certain dealings with the IRGC,” including membership or providing resources, as criminal offenses.<\/p>\n #IranEmbassyAustralia #Janfada #AustralianFederalPolice #IranianDiaspora #NationalSecurityConcerns #IRGCTerrorism #ForeignRecruitment #AustralianLaw #DiplomaticRelations #HumanRights<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A message posted on a Telegram account, promoting a recruitment drive by Tehran’s embassy in Canberra, has sparked significant alarm among Iranian diaspora groups in Australia. One group has even called for the embassy’s closure, while the Australian federal police are now investigating the matter. Embassy Promotes “Janfada” Program As a conflict approaches its two-month […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iran-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Details of the Recruitment Message<\/h2>\n
Outcry from Advocacy Groups<\/h2>\n
Legal Implications in Australia<\/h2>\n
IRGC Designation and Past Incidents<\/h2>\n