Starry-eyed Penny Wong believes the Iranian regime - world champions of hostage diplomacy, woman-stoning, and death-to-America chants - can be tamed with polite conversation.
Has our nation ever had a more feckless foreign minister?
The Iranian leadership funds global terror and calls Israel a "cancer". But Wong imagines a strongly worded letter will bring them to heel.
Diplomacy with the Ayatollahs? Really?
Penny Wong recommends bringing a scented candle to a gunfight. It's not foreign policy - it's fantasy role play.
At this rate, she'll be inviting what's left of the Hamas leadership to morning tea at Parliament House, hoping they'll reconsider jihad over scones and jam.
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Iranian Regime's Belief in the 12th Imam/Mahdi The Iranian leadership will not respond to diplomacy, no matter how earnest, because the Iranian leadership is not motivated by logic, or by reason.
And they are certainly not sitting in Tehran pouring over the latest strongly worded tweet from Australia's lesbian foreign minister.
The central tenet of Islam, as practised by the Iranian regime, is a belief in the return of the 12th Imam, or Imam al-Mahdi.
This eschatological figure, believed to be hidden since the 9th century, is prophesied to return at the end of times to bring justice and to establish global Islamic rule.
The Iranian leadership believe the Mahdi's return is contingent upon the destruction of Israel.
You'd think Penny Wong would know this.
Unless Penny Wong wants to go to Tehran to discuss end time theology, her appeals to "international rules" and "a commitment to dialogue" make less sense than Queers for Palestine.
Iran's clerical regime frames Israel's very existence, not just as a political affront (as if that is not bad enough), but as a metaphysical obstacle...
When the erasure of Israel is seen as a necessary precursor to the 12th Imam's reappearance, does Penny Wong really imagine they might be deterred by an email from Penny Who?
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly referred to Israel as a "cancerous tumour" destined for eradication.
This rhetoric is not political hyperbole; it is steeped in a cosmic narrative in which Zionism is a satanic force that must be crushed to clear the way for divine justice.
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"Help from Allah and an imminent conquest" (Holy Quran: 61:13).
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 16, 2025
The Islamic Republic will triumph over the Zionist regime by the will of God. pic.twitter.com/sUZvapaV4G
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Leaders within the Iranian regime, such as former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been even more overt in linking political events to messianic prophecy.
Ahmadinejad once claimed that his presidency was guided by the hidden hand of the Mahdi and that global upheaval - especially in the Middle East - was hastening his return.
In this view, the destruction of Israel is not simply a matter of regional politics or solidarity with the Palestinians; it is part of a broader, divine mandate to "purify" the world.
The existence of Israel is perceived as an embodiment of injustice that prevents the full realisation of an Islamic utopia.
Removing Israel would symbolically and practically pave the way for the Mahdi's global rule.
Do you understand now why Tehran's Supreme Leader doesn't spend his evenings poring over DFAT pressers with a highlighter and a heart full of remorse?
Penny Wong has said she "strongly urges all parties to refrain from further violence".
Wow. It's a line so bold, I expect it to be engraved on the next Iranian ballistic missile in recognition of her contribution to Middle Eastern affairs.
The Iranian regime isn't motivated by logic, trade deals, or multilateral resolutions.
Nor is it dissuaded by Penny Wong diplomacy delivered in the soothing tones of a Q&A host.
Iran is driven by a theocratic death cult ideology that believes paradise is earned by wiping Israel off the map.
The Albanese Government's hope that a calls for calm from Penny Wong will melt the heart of a regime chanting "Death to Israel" is peak Canberra delusion.
You can't reason with people who believe Allah wants you dead.