Dáil Statement by Minister McEntee on the Situation in the Middle East

Speech

Dáil Statement by Minister McEntee on the Situation in the Middle East

• From: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

• Published on: 5 March 2026
• Last updated on: 5 March 2026

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Thank you, Ceann Comhairle,

We are meeting at a critical moment for the Gulf and the wider Middle East.

We are all deeply concerned by the outbreak of conflict since Saturday, at the scenes of death and destruction that we are witnessing.

By the impact on our citizens across the Gulf caught up in this conflict.

By the consequences for some of our closest partners in the region.

By the situation facing our peacekeepers serving in UNIFIL.

And by the potential for this conflict to intensify and further threaten international peace and security.

Responding to the effects of this crisis is a priority for me, as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and for the Government.

My position, and the position of the Government, is clear.

The current military operations by the United States and Israel have no mandate or authorisation from the United Nations. Nor has any attempt been made to seek such an authorisation.

Ireland's position on the use of force outside such a context is well-established and known.

Ireland's position is equally clear that all states must abide by international law and the principles of the UN Charter.

I was equally clear and strong in my engagement at the emergency meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on Sunday. Indeed, Ireland was among those making the strongest remarks on this point.

The UN system, however imperfect, is an essential security asset for small states including Ireland.

If the UN fails, and if the Security Council is unable to act, it is because Member States do not empower it to do so.

It has always been Ireland's position to support the UN and the international multilateral system.

This is the approach that I have taken since the start of this conflict and which I will continue to take.

Our priority must be to quickly end this conflict and for urgent de-escalation. We urgently need to get back to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.

There is a real risk of this conflict widening, as it already has.

I call on all with influence to use it constructively, in the interest of peace.

⁠We have made crystal clear in our condemnation of the Iranian regime - its brutal repression of its citizens, its malign role in the region and its support for Russia's war on Ukraine.

Our position on Iran's nuclear programme is clear - Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon.

We had strongly supported the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - Iran nuclear agreement. When it ceased to function, we urged Iran to engage meaningfully in negotiations to address the legitimate concerns of the international community.

I regret that more time was not allowed for dialogue and diplomacy and I remain convinced that this is the best way to address these issues.

We are confronted instead with reality of conflict.

Over the past days I have spoken to a number of my counterparts in the region, to express our solidarity and to discuss how we can find a way out of this situation.

Earlier today, I took part in a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council with Gulf Ministers.

The attacks by Iran on Gulf States, many of which have large Irish communities, and on Jordan and Türkiye are unacceptable.

These countries have not attacked Iran and have shown commendable restraint in the face of attacks on them.

In the meeting this morning, I expressed our solidarity and support and thanked them for the support and assistance they are providing to our citizens.

Ireland is deeply disturbed by attacks on civilian infrastructure, including hotels, hospitals and residential apartment blocks.

We are all shocked by the appalling loss of so many young lives in the bombing of the school in Minab. This is devastating for the families. The killing of children can never be justified, in any circumstances. It is utterly unacceptable. We must be clear on this.

The future of Iran is particularly uncertain following the killing of Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran has imposed a communications blackout so accurate information is not available.

In the absence of the Supreme Leader, Iran's leadership is constitutionally led by a Council made up of President Pezeshkian; Chief Justice Mohseni-Ejei and Ayatollah Arafi, a member of the Guardian Council.

In practice, the military commanders and IRGC leaders seem to be in the driving seat.

Ultimately, the future of Iran must be determined by the people of Iran and in a way that creates stability in the region.

Iranians should be free to express their views without the fear of further violence.

But the path to such an outcome is far from certain, and a risk of continuing instability real.

Ceann Comhairle,

Let me turn now to one of the most pressing priorities for my Department that has been caused by the current escalation in the Middle East.

As all of the Deputies in this house will be aware, there are a large number of Irish citizens resident in Gulf countries, in particular in the United Arab Emirates.

Indeed there are approximately 24,000 citizens across the region that have registered their presence on the Citizen's Registration Platform - with more than 16,000 of these registering for the first time since the weekend.

I fully understand the anxiety and concerns of Irish citizens across the region with continuing strikes from Iran, and those of their families and friends in Ireland and around the world.

I want to assure you that my Department, including officials working in our Embassies in the region, is actively engaged in supporting Irish citizens who are affected, and will provide all possible consular assistance.

Our Crisis Centre has had extensive contact with Irish citizens and their families who have been affected, including both residents and holidaymakers.

Since Saturday, when I stood up the Consular Crisis Team in my Department, officials have managed more than 2,300 queries from citizens in Ireland and across the region.

My officials are working with existing EU consular mechanisms to coordinate assistance across the region.

For our Irish citizens in the region, our advice is to shelter in place, avoid unnecessary movement, and follow the directions of the local authorities.

Irish citizens should also actively monitor advice issued on social media by the local Irish Embassy.

Travel advice published by my Department has been updated to advice against all travel to Iran, Israel and Lebanon and to avoid non-essential travel to all other countries in the Gulf region.

I continue to work closely with my EU counterparts and participated in an extraordinary meeting of European Union Foreign Ministers on Sunday, which took place virtually, on the current conflict in the Middle East.

During the meeting, I emphasised that our priority is the safety of our citizens living in the region and those who have been caught up by flight disruptions as a result of the conflict.

EU Foreign Ministers agreed on the importance of close cooperation and coordination among EU Member States on consular matters.

My Department is working with and in constant dialogue with existing EU consular mechanisms to coordinate assistance across the region

There is of course extensive flight disruptions across the region, which have already impacted Irish citizens, including those in regions not immediately affected by the conflict. Much of the airspace in the region was closed in the initial days of the crisis with some limited openings in some countries. This is likely to remain the case in the coming days and given the significant numbers of Irish citizens in the UAE in particular, I instructed my officials to activate plans for an assisted departure from the region.

Appropriate, timely and effective action has been a priority for this Government in relation to this crisis.

I have asked my officials to put in place the first charter flight for Irish citizens. We are working towards this departing the region on Friday, providing security and operational considerations permit. As Deputies will be aware, this is an incredibly complex and fast-moving situation and the plans are conditional on the prevailing security and operational considerations which can impact both the movement of citizens by land to the airport and the necessary permission for the flight to depart from local air traffic control authorities.

This first charter will be targeted at Irish citizens currently in UAE, particularly those who are non-resident, and who are vulnerable and require assistance most urgently. In particular those in transit will be included in this group. Those citizens are being contacted by my officials and this ongoing outreach will continue until all of those eligible have been contacted.

The consular crisis centre in my Department has had extensive contact with Irish citizens and their families in Ireland who have been affected and continue to coordinate the consular response as the situation evolves.

My officials are also working to assist as best they can a small number of Irish citizens currently resident in Iran, most of whom have been resident in the country for many years.

Diplomats from all of our Embassies in the region are actively engaged to support Irish citizens who are affected - I had the opportunity to meet with them virtually this morning.

Our travel advice remains that Irish citizens should not undertake travel to Iran and our advice at this time to citizens in country and throughout the region is to shelter in place. Citizens should also follow the directions of the local authorities and advice issued on social media by the Irish Embassy in their country of residence. This is the best way to get the most up to date information.

In parallel, we have been in close contact with the airlines operating in the region. It's very welcome that one flight with Emirates, arrived from Dubai to Dublin last night.

A second flight from Dubai to Dublin is scheduled to be taking off as we speak

This twin-track approach of planning for assisted departures while remaining in close contact with the airlines will continue.

The resumption of commercial routes, however limited, remains the best possible way of ensuring as many of our citizens who need and wish to do so can leave the region.

I want to acknowledge that citizens in the region may be concerned if they are not contacted by officials today and do not receive an update from their airline. I would reiterate again that if any citizen in the region wishes to leave, they should contact the Consular Crisis Team in Dublin. We have been encouraging citizens to register their presence in the region, however this is not a registration that you want to leave.

I want to assure you that the Department will continue to offer consular assistance through the Consular Crisis Team and our missions in the region. We will update you when we have further guidance.

I hope and expect that further commercial options will become available in the coming days, targeted at non-residents and those who are in transit.

Ceann Comhairle,

In addition to these aspects of the conflict, I am also aware of the potential economic impacts.

We have seen disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Some 20% of global oil and gas supplies pass through this narrow waterway.

There has been an increase in the price of oil since markets opened on Monday.

I and my Department are carefully monitoring the potential economic and trade impacts arising from instability in the region, which is a significant export market and a major global hub for goods and energy.

Earlier this week, I briefed a meeting of the Trade Forum on these concerns and had an opportunity to hear from representatives of business.

This will remain a priority as we navigate our way through the days ahead.

As this House is aware, Ireland has a deep connection and commitment to Lebanon, going back many decades.

For far too long, other people have made Lebanon their battleground, and we have sought, both politically and especially through the work of our Defence Forces, to assist the people of Lebanon in regaining the stability and prosperity that were once the envy of the Middle East.

It is deeply distressing therefore that the actions of Hezbollah, and of Iran, have once more dragged them into conflict.

This morning I was due to be in Paris, at a conference organised by France to bring together international support for the Lebanese Armed forces, the LAF, to help them restore security and control over their country. Now that meeting has had to be postponed.

In recent months, the LAF had done a great deal, tripling their presence in the south of Lebanon, in the area where UNIFIL are deployed.

The Government of Lebanon had announced a phased plan for the LAF to secure the disarmament of Hezbollah, and of other groups, so that Lebanon would no longer be a hostage to armed militias, and had completed the first stage of that plan.

In response to the renewed Hezbollah attack on Israel, the Government of Lebanon moved to outlaw all military activity by Hezbollah and instructed the LAF to move ahead with disarming them.

I condemn the missile attacks by Hezbollah on Israel. These are utterly unacceptable and must stop.

I must equally condemn Israel's military response, its aerial bombardment and its launch of ground operations. This is a direct violation of Lebanon's sovereignty as a state. It puts civilian populations at risk. It has not given Lebanon the chance to try and remove this threat by other, and more long-lasting, means.

I fear that a unique chance to break the cycle of violence between Israel and Lebanon may be lost, and greater instability and destruction may lie ahead.

In these circumstances, of course the attention of the Government and of Deputies will be particularly on the safety of our own personnel in UNIFIL.

I am regularly briefed by the Chief of Staff and am pleased to confirm that our peacekeepers are safe.

Our forces in UNIFIL will continue to do their duty to fulfil their mandate and help achieve security for all the people.

This House will also be concerned about the impacts of this conflict for the people of Palestine. I spoke with my counterpart in Palestine this morning and once again reiterated our full support for the Palestinian people.

I regret that the conflict in Gaza risks being overshadowed by the current escalation and there is a risk that the momentum that had been established to end the Gaza conflict will be disrupted.

I was dismayed to see the closure of crossings into Gaza immediately following the outbreak of the current conflict on Saturday.

While one of these crossings has reopened, this is not enough, and I call on Israel to reopen all remaining crossings.

We will continue to work to ensure that the humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza is urgently addressed; the situation remains no less urgent than it was before the current escalation began.

Turning the tide on widespread malnutrition is likely to take months and substantial humanitarian aid at scale is required.

I also call on Israel to lift restrictions on the transportation of supplies into the West Bank.

While international attention is focussed on Iran, the situation in the West Bank remains extremely serious.

Israeli military operations have displaced at least 40,000 people since January 2025 and caused widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and homes, and are being killed on a daily basis.

Recent decisions by the Israeli authorities to expand their control of the West Bank and to expand settlement activity are part of part of an established pattern to create a new status quo in the occupied Palestinian territory. This is unacceptable and needs to stop.

Ireland will continue to work with EU partners on appropriate action in response to these continued breaches.

Ceann Comhairle,

This conflict has the potential to have lasting impacts across the Gulf and the wider Middle East.

We call for a cessation of hostilities. For urgent steps to de-escalate and for restraint.

We need to see a return to diplomacy, and for the UN to have a role.

Responding to the effects of this crisis will remain a priority for the Government.

END