The Government is considering contingency measures and weighing its next steps as it advises the 22,000 Irish citizens in the Middle East to remain sheltered in place, reports RTE.
This morning, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee is set to discuss developments in the Middle East with fellow ministers, reports RTE.
The minister has indicated that the Government stands ready to charter flights if required for Irish citizens impacted by the escalating conflict.
Senior Government representatives have been in continuous contact over the past 72 hours to evaluate the implications of events unfolding in the Gulf region, and the matter will be examined further at Cabinet today, reports RTE.
The Government has faced calls to work alongside other EU member states and to prepare for a large-scale evacuation.
The appeal came from Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews, who said the situation is deteriorating rapidly and that urgent action is needed, reports RTE.
It is understood that EU partners are actively assessing options for charter flights to airports situated at a remove from the centre of the conflict.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the guidance for Irish citizens in the Middle East “is very clear, to shelter in place, to register with the relevant embassy… so there can be clear communication between embassies and Irish citizens”, reports RTE.
“All options are being pursued and will be pursued to help our citizens,” he said, reports RTE.
“The immediate situation is very challenging, obviously, because it’s unsafe.”, reports RTE.
Regarding the prospect of flights evacuating people, Mr Martin said: “We would hope that there might be opportunities in the coming week, if that could happen.
“But in the meantime, we’re pushing all options, including working with our European Union partners in terms of coordination, in terms of any potential evacuation.”, reports RTE.
Minister McEntee said the Government is compiling a list of its most vulnerable citizens who may need help leaving the Gulf.
These include older people, pregnant women and individuals with underlying medical conditions, reports RTE.
Speaking ahead of Cabinet, she said airlines are giving priority to passengers left stranded in transit without accommodation, residency status or hotel bookings.
“Separately we are, of course, based on the contacts that we’ve had directly from people ringing our contact lines, as well as those who we are aware of, we are developing a list of those who are perhaps most vulnerable, elderly, those who might have medical conditions,” reports RTE.
“There are people out there who are pregnant, and who are advanced in their pregnancy, so we want to make sure that if we have a chartered flight, that we have a very clear list of who will be on those flights, making sure that those are most vulnerable, those who aren’t residents, who don’t have accommodation, are prioritised in that regard,”, she said, reports RTE.
Tánaiste Simon Harris said the option of chartering flights is under consideration as part of efforts to assist Irish citizens.
He said they are “not waiting” to see what other countries are doing but instead examining the most effective and efficient course of action, reports RTE.
A number of approaches are being explored, including coordinated efforts among European nations, he added.
He said Oman may be considered as a potential location for direct charter flights, reports RTE.
Mr Harris also said authorities are keeping a close watch on whether commercial services resume in parts of the Middle East.
More than 50 flights to and from Dublin Airport have been cancelled since Saturday morning, reports RTE.
The Dáil heard that US actions in Iran defy international law and should be clearly condemned by the Government.
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Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the violence of one state does not give another the right to engage in unlawful military aggression, reports RTE.
She argued that the Government’s response undermines Ireland’s neutrality and amounts to a risky defence of the United States.
The Taoiseach said he supports a multilateral rules-based international order and wants to see tensions reduced, reports RTE.
However, Micheál Martin said the UN has struggled to intervene in situations involving malign actors such as Iran.
He said Iran has funded terror in the region for years and has brutally oppressed and killed thousands of its own citizens, reports RTE.
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns urged the Government to denounce what she described as the US and Israel’s “clear breach of military law”.
She said “no lessons have been learned” from the Iraq war, reports RTE.
She said: “From reading your statement, Taoiseach, you wouldn’t even know that the US was involved.”
She asked whether the Government believes powerful nations can “simply ignore international law” and “launch attacks on other countries whenever they feel like”, reports RTE.
She said European leaders, including Mr Martin, are declining to criticise the US as “they continue to dismantle international law”.
“International law does not just apply to countries that we agree with. The structures are there to prevent all hell breaking lose on an international state. Those structures are being completely dismantled,”, she said, reports RTE.
US President Donald Trump has “bombed seven countries since taking office and has faced no consequences for his actions”, she said.
Ms Cairns said attempts to appease the Trump administration have failed, reports RTE.
In reply, Mr Martin said international law has not been respected and has not been “for quite some time by many, many actors”.
“I would condemn the killing of children anywhere, in any situation,” he said.
“Children and innocent civilians must be prioritised without question.”, reports RTE.
She said the Dáil has acknowledged the brutality of the Iranian regime but noted that “there was rarely a debate in here about Iran”.
“There was a studied silence here,”, he said, reports RTE.
He said: “We are similar to where we were prior to the demise of the League of Nations.
“There is an absence of an international rules-based order, of that there is no question.”, reports RTE.
Mr Martin described the situation as “dangerous” for countries like Ireland because “we don’t have military power”.
“We are fundamentally a peace-keeping nation,” he said, reports RTE.
Ms Cairns described Mr Martin’s remarks as a “long-winded way of saying no you will not condemn the breach of international law”.
She said the UN is “imperfect” but it is “the best that we got”, reports RTE.
Labour TD Duncan Smith said there must be a clear strategy for the 20,000 Irish citizens in the Middle East.
“People are contacting us at increasing numbers, wondering, how are we going to get home,”, he said, reports RTE.
He added that there are “missiles hitting cities that never thought they would be in the midst of war”.
“People are living under a threat of air sirens from missiles coming in, hitting hotels, hitting their residential areas,”, he said, reports RTE.
He said the past four days represent “the greatest escalation in global insecurity conflicts since the US invaded Iraq”, adding that the confrontation is “going to last”.
Mr Smith called for a “clear, unequivocal condemnation of the break of international law”, reports RTE.
He also warned that the financial consequences will be felt by “ordinary working people in Ireland”.
He said higher prices will not only be evident at fuel pumps but also in supermarket aisles, reports RTE.
Mr Smith added that Taoiseach Micheál Martin should reconsider plans to visit the White House on St Patrick’s Day.
“When is enough, enough, and what are we going to benefit from it?” he asked.
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