Penny Wong also spoke to the Nine Network:

Q: There are, from what I can glean, more than 3,000 Aussies in Iran. You may have a more specific number. It’s difficult to conjure a more threatening environment for them right now.

Wong:

It is, and we’ve expressed publicly our concern about Australians going to Iran. I have said to Iranian Australians, please do not travel to Iran. Iran is do not travel. We now have no embassy there, no Australian base, diplomats to assist you. We have, obviously, concerns about people travelling. So, my message is, if you are in Iran, you should come home.

Q: Any further help?

Wong:

And if you’re thinking of going to Iran, please don’t. Well, our capacity, Karl, to provide assistance in Iran is limited. And now we have no staff from the Department of Foreign Affairs in Tehran and that’s public. But, you know, we had to make that decision.

Q:: Tehran has responded overnight saying they didn’t do it, saying you have aligned yourselves with Zionist policies. It’s an assault on diplomacy. How do you respond?

Wong:

Well, what I would say is this Australian Government is not going to countenance a foreign regime engaging in activities in Australia which are not just about sowing division, they are that. But they are also violent acts which harm or have the potential to harm Australians. It’s not acceptable.

Q: There are clearly spies and operatives in Australia aligned with extreme ideologies. Was this a security breach, do you believe? I think Aussies have a right to feel a little uneasy about everything.

Wong:

What I’d say to Australians is we have security agencies, we have the Australian Federal Police, we have ASIO, we have an intelligence community which is very focused on making sure you are kept safe. And the government has taken unprecedented action in response to what those agencies have found.

Q: Will you take any further action?

Wong:

Look, these are big steps. These are unprecedented steps. No government has taken such a step. We thought it was the right time, given that the actions, as I said, crossed a very clear line.