Tánaiste orders evacuation of Irish embassy in Iran due to 'deteriorating situation'

Tanaiste Simon Harris said that officials in the Department of foreign affairs would “remain in contact with the small number of Irish citizens remaining in Iran”. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA

Irish embassy staff are being evacuated from Iran amid the “deteriorating situation” in the Middle East, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said.

Mr Harris has confirmed the work of the embassy would now be taken over by officials at the department of foreign affairs in Dublin.

“I have become increasingly concerned about the operational environment for our embassy in Tehran, and the ability of our diplomatic staff to perform their functions safely,” Mr Harris said.

“In light of the deteriorating situation, following consultation with my officials and in close consultation and coordination with EU partners, I have decided to temporarily relocate our personnel from Tehran.” 

One source indicated the embassy officials would be leaving the country.

“This is not a decision that I have taken lightly,” Mr Harris added.

The Tánaiste added that officials in the Department of foreign affairs would “remain in contact with the small number of Irish citizens remaining in Iran”.

“These arrangements will continue until it is possible for our personnel to return to Iran,” he said.

On citizens leaving the country, Mr Harris said they might consider doing so through a land border, as airspace remains closed. 

However, Mr Harris said travelling by land border should only be done if it “remains safe to do so”.

Mr Harris said the Government’s travel advice remained that Irish citizens should avoid travelling to Iran.

“My hope is that a diplomatic solution can be found to resolve this conflict, without further escalation or further loss of life in Iran or in Israel. I continue to call for restraint and de-escalation by both Israel and Iran,” the Tánaiste said.

The last resort move to evacuate Irish embassy staff comes amid the escalating war between Israel and Iran, with the latter saying it would not engage in nuclear talks while under fire from Israel.

Meanwhile, the EU’s diplomatic service has found Israel’s actions in Gaza may have breached the terms of its association agreement with the EU, according to reports.

The agreement itself is the basis for trade relations between the EU and Israel, and provides favourable trading conditions for the latter with the bloc.

The review was specifically centred around Article 2 of the association agreement, which is focused on human rights compliance.

It has been reported that the report by the European External Action Service (EEAS) have come due to findings from several independent international bodies.

The Irish Government has repeatedly called for the suspension of the agreement, but one EU diplomat has played down the possibility, as it would require a unanimous decision by member states.

They suggested it would be “more likely” to see the agreement partially suspended, which could be done by a qualified majority vote of EU leaders.