EFFORTS are under way to evacuate 15 Irish citizens from Israel, Tanaiste Simon Harris has said.
The Foreign Affairs Minister confirmed that an operation was ongoing to evacuate 15 Irish citizens and their dependants from Israel, working with EU member states.
He said they were working with a smaller number of citizens in Iran who had requested an evacuation.
Around 29 Irish citizens in Iran had registered with the Irish embassy and around 200 in Israel.
Mr Harris said he spoke to Iran’s deputy foreign minister on Sunday, at their request, who was “full of anger”.
Talking to the reporters at Government Buildings, he said: “He did say to me that it was the view of Iran that the aggressors would have to learn lessons and pay a price.
“Of course I articulated in the strongest possible terms that Ireland and the European Union doesn’t want to see that, we want to see people step back from the brink and engage in dialogue.”
Mr Harris said the US strikes on Iran had made a “volatile situation even more dangerous” and added an “extra layer of complexity” to what was already a “tinderbox”.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Harris have both called for an “urgent” de-escalation and a negotiated solution over Iran’s nuclear facilities.
They said they are in close contact with their European counterparts before a meeting of EU foreign leaders on Monday and of EU leaders later in the week.
The Fianna Fail leader said: “Diplomacy and dialogue is ultimately the only way to resolve these issues.
“Iran should commit not to develop nuclear weapons and disavow its nuclear and uranium enrichment programme.
“Nuclear safety is an issue here, modern warfare is very destructive. It is civilians who ultimately suffer, and that is why we need an end to these wars and bring an end to conflict.”
BREACH OF INTERNATIONAL LAWS
Martin added that the escalation on Sunday should not draw attention away from the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
He said: “We shouldn’t lose sight of the catastrophe that is still unfolding in Gaza while the war between Iran and Israel continues.
“What is happening in Gaza is appalling and a breach of international humanitarian law, and again, innocent civilians and children are being starved there, and we need that to come to an end.”
Staff from Ireland’s embassy in Tehran left the country on Friday as the embassy was closed, and updates are being provided on more than 300 Irish peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon.
Harris said there were no plans to withdraw Irish troops and that “decisions are being made constantly” to ensure their safety.
‘VOLATILE CONFLICT’
When asked whether he supported US President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran, Harris said: “I think it’s resulted in an extraordinarily dangerous escalation of a conflict that already best be described as a tinderbox.
“We’re now entering a moment of particular danger, because I think the chances now of a spiral of escalation are more likely than ever before, and there is a real prospect now of the international community losing all control of this very, very volatile conflict.”
He said there was only a “very small” number of Irish citizens, many dual nationals, seeking an evacuation, and they were working with European counterparts.
He said a significant update on this would be available in the hours ahead.
‘EXTRAORDINARILY DANGEROUS TIME’
Speaking on RTE Radio, he said: “Thank God we woke this morning to the International Atomic Energy Agency saying they haven’t detected any increase in radiation.
“But imagine if we were waking up this morning to a situation where radiation levels were extraordinarily high, and the health and human danger that that would have presented far beyond Iran as well. So this is an extraordinarily dangerous time.”
He said that it was “sadly true” that international legal norms are not being adhered to, citing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s “genocidal activity” in Palestine and now the Iran-Israel conflict.
He said there was a diplomatic process in train and his understanding from readouts was “there was a commitment from the Iranian side to further talks”.
POSSESSION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Harris said Ireland and Europe are “fully united in the clear view” that Iran should not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.
“The way to address this was always through a negotiated solution. Any alternative to that is simply too dangerous for civilians, for the Middle East region and for global security.
“Together with my EU counterparts, we will in the coming hours and days discuss and review the latest developments and consider the next steps Europe can usefully play to support de-escalation.”
Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan said people woke up on Sunday “terrified, really, to be quite honest, about the prospect of what’s unfolding”.
‘TERRIFYING’
He told RTE’s The Week In Politics it is “terrifying” for citizens in Iran and Israel.
He said: “It does take great people to make leaps of faith in particular places in time to come forward, whether it was in relation to (Anwar el-Sadat) in Egypt, and later on in relation to Bill Clinton and what he did, we do now require people to actually get people around the table.
“Because, ultimately, as the Taoiseach said, this is terrifying – not only for the innocent communities that are living in both countries, but as well as that for the neighbouring countries in the Middle East, who we obviously all hope are not drawn into a much bigger conflict.”
