The US strikes on Iran represent an “extraordinarily dangerous escalation” of the conflict in the Middle East, the Irish foreign affairs minister has said.
Simon Harris, who is also Ireland’s deputy premier, said an escalation in the “tinderbox” region was more likely than ever and that the international community were at risk of “losing all control” of the conflict.
Irish premier Micheal Martin and Mr Harris both called for an “urgent” de-escalation and a negotiated solution on 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.
“Diplomacy and dialogue is ultimately the only way to resolve these issues,” Mr Martin said.
“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.”
There is an urgent need for de-escalation, dialogue & diplomacy in the Middle East.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) June 22, 2025
Iran should unequivocally disavow the development of nuclear weapons.
A negotiated solution is the way forward. We remain in close contact with international partners ahead of the EU Council.
Mr Martin said the escalation on Sunday should not draw attention away from the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
“We shouldn’t lose sight of the catastrophe that is still unfolding in Gaza while the war between Iran and Israel continues,” he said.
“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 over 300 Irish peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon.
Mr Harris said there were no plans to withdraw Irish troops and that “decisions are being made constantly” to ensure their safety.
When asked whether he supported Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran, Mr 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.
“Thank god we woke this morning to the International Atomic Energy Agency saying they haven’t detected any increase in radiation,” he told RTE Radio.
“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”.
Mr 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”.
He told RTE’s The Week In Politics it is “terrifying” for citizens in Iran and Israel.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
