Taoiseach Simon Harris defends reopening of Irish embassy in Iran

Taoiseach Simon Harris has defended the decision to reopen the Irish embassy in Tehran, stressing the importance of maintaining diplomatic relations with Iran. 

It comes after the Irish Mail on Sunday last week revealed senior Government figures were furious at the timing of a decision to allow ambassador-designate Laoise Moore to take up residence in Iran - just days before the rogue Islamic state fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel.

Ministers also said they believed the decision to reopen an embassy in Iran – a decision made years ago – was on ‘ice’ due to increasing disquiet over re-establishing diplomatic relations with a country that sponsors terrorism and has received international condemnation for its treatment of women.

Asked about the reopening of the embassy during his trip to Washington last week, Mr. Harris stressed the benefits of ongoing diplomatic relations with Iran. He said the safety of staff at the Irish embassy is of ‘paramount’ importance.

"The safety of any diplomat or local staff that would work in any structure would, of course, be a factor in terms of deciding when to physically open a building, where to do it, how to keep them secure," the Taoiseach said. 

The embassy in Tehran closed in 2012 due to the impact of the financial crisis.

In 2021, then-foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney announced the re-establishment of an Irish diplomatic presence in Iran. That year, a chargé d’affaires was posted to Tehran, joined later by other staff.

Ms. Moore arrived in the city at the start of last month but has yet to be offered a date to formally present her credentials to Iranian officials.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has insisted it is normal for ambassadors to have to wait for weeks or months before a date is offered to formally present credentials.

It added: "This does not preclude the ambassador-designate managing the work of the mission over the intervening period.

"In this instance, a date for our ambassador-designate in Tehran to present her credentials has not yet been fixed."

The department said the full embassy team is now in place and the embassy is in operation.

Mr. Harris said there was a misconception that diplomatic relations with Iran were only being established now, adding: "They’ve already existed – the question now is the infrastructure you put in place on the ground and, of course, the security situation in the region will be paramount in our mind"

And he stressed that having diplomatic relations is "not the same as agreeing with a country."

The Taoiseach added: "I mean, we have diplomatic relations with Russia – we utterly deplore the actions of Russia. We have diplomatic relations with Israel when I’m very clear Israel, in my view, is continuing to engage in a war on children in Gaza."

"So, we can have diplomatic relations with a country and continue to call out that country."

The Irish embassy is operating in space provided by the embassy of Germany – with a view to opening a premises early next year.

Meanwhile, Mr. Harris also warned Israel must stop firing on United Nations peacekeepers. 

His comments come after Israeli troops fired on UN headquarters in southern Lebanon, injuring two peacekeepers for the second time in as many days.

The Taoiseach will call for an immediate ceasefire in the region at the European Council. Mr. Harris discussed the Israeli activity on the Blue Line with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

He said the leaders agreed the ‘Blue Helmets’ must "always be afforded full protection."

In a statement, Mr. Harris said: "Israel must stop firing on UN peacekeepers serving with Unifil in Lebanon."

Tánaiste Micheál Martin called on the international community to pressure Israel to stop what he described as its ‘reckless and intimidatory’ actions.

*This article was originally published on Extra.ie. Additional reporting by Cillian Sherlock.