Next day or two crucial in how situation between Iran and Israel develops, says Tánaiste
The Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv on Wednesday. The position of Ireland and the EU on the matter is that there needs to be an immediate de-escalation and a return to the talks programme. Photo: AP/Leo Correa
We could not be in a more dangerous situation, the Tánaiste has said as he warned that the next 24 to 48 hours will be crucial in how the current situation between Iran and Israel plays out.
Simon Harris said there are a number of risks at the moment, including a spill-over beyond the two countries, and the message must be about "stepping back from the brink".
The position of Ireland and the EU on the matter is that there needs to be an immediate de-escalation and a return to the talks programme. "Nobody wants to see Iran with nuclear capabilities, everybody is aware of the dangers that Iran poses," said Mr Harris.
If the Iranians are not willing to engage directly with the US, then it is important that they, at a minimum, engage with the EU, the foreign affairs minister told RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne.
"It is almost impossible to overstate the potential danger of this, if there ends up being involvement of other countries, or indeed spill-over into other countries," he said.
Ireland, in one sense, is far away from it all, but there are a number of Irish citizens in both countries and there are a significant number of Irish troops in Lebanon, Mr Harris noted. Currently, there are 29 citizens in Iran most of whom are long-term residents and hold dual citizenships while there are around 200 people registered as living in Israel.
A small number of these have expressed their desire to leave if the opportunity arises and the Irish embassies have been in contact with them. Mr Harris said Ireland is working with other EU member states and examining the options available to help people to leave in a safe manner.
With airspace closed in Iran, the only option is to go over a land border which is "not without risk", Mr Harris explained.
"From an Israeli point of view, it means going to maybe Jordan or Egypt where obviously flights can go from. So there are a number of options available to us and we are working very closely with a number of member states," he said.
Mr Harris added that they are also looking at how best to support Irish diplomats to effectively operate and in terms of safety and security issues.
The Fine Gael leader will attend a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers this Sunday and Monday where he expects discussions will be dominated by the rapidly deteriorating situation in Iran and Israel.
Responding to the latest Central Bank report, Mr Harris said it is "not impossible" for the Government to reach its housing targets for the next three years.
The report revised down its housing projections for the next few years, now forecasting 32,500, 37,500, and 41,500 homes to be completed this year, next year and in 2027 respectively.
"We have to be a little bit cautious on that because Robert Kelly [director of economics and statistics at the Central Bank] actually said it is not impossible to meet targets over the next three years though there are clear challenges," Mr Harris said.
The Government is pulling all of the policy levers to increase momentum in terms of housing delivery and "every single one of those decisions are going to be critiqued".
Mr Harris said the housing minister has his full confidence and he is somewhat encouraged that some of the decisions made in recent days will make a real difference.
"Now is the time for big, brave, bold decisions, there is no doubt about that. In fact, there's no alternative and that is why we have made decisions this week on the rent pressure zones," he said.
The actions taken by the Government on RPZs is not a magic wand solution but it marks a significant move to increase security of tenure.
Responding to Opposition criticism of the changes made to RPZs and how it will impact rents, Mr Harris said: "There is no point living in airy fairy land here if we are talking about hypothetical renters paying hypothetically more rent in hypothetical apartments that don't yet exist."
He added: "Will rents be higher for new apartments that don't yet exist than they would be otherwise? Perhaps, yes, but the apartments wouldn't exist otherwise."
It is expected that there will be "a series of further announcements even between now and the summer recess" to increase supply.
Looking ahead to Budget 2026, Mr Harris said we are entering a period of being sensible and prudent in relation to budgetary decisions.
Looming trade tariffs are a dark cloud on the horizon but there are some positive signs.
"I think we are beginning to see a move towards a framework agreement but there is a way to go," he said.
The EU has put forward ambitious proposals seeking to get a better deal than the UK achieved while Ireland has raised the pharmaceutical sector among its priorities.
There has been an encouraging recognition on the US side that there is an interdependency to supply chain and Mr Harris said there is a chance to get a deal that would be good for the EU as well as the US.
With the July 19 deadline quickly approaching, Mr Harris said both sides genuinely want to bring certainty to the situation as the instability of the current situation is continuing to create issues.
Fine Gael will open its nominations for this year's presidential election early next month and it will be closed by mid-July.
Should there be more than one candidate, a ballot will take place over the summer with the winning person announced in early September.
Mr Harris noted that there seems to be a longer list of people who have ruled themselves out of contention than who have put themselves forward.
When asked what that says about the role, Mr Harris said that being president is something many people would like but being a presidential candidate might not be as attractive.
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