FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER Helen McEntee said she “can’t say” whether the US and Israeli strikes on Iran are illegal under international law, as she faced questions about the Government’s response to the rapidly escalating conflict.

Speaking to RTÉ Radio’s This Week programme, McEntee said Ireland’s position was that “any actions that are happening have to be in line with international law”.

Pressed by RTÉ’s Paul Cunningham on whether the bombing campaign, which was launched without UN Security Council authorisation yesterday, was unlawful, she replied: “I can’t say that.”

“As far as I’m concerned, whatever is happening, whatever actions are being taken, they have to and they must comply with international law,” McEntee added.

Under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, states are prohibited from using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state, except in cases of self-defence following an armed attack or with Security Council approval.

Israel has since claimed that the strikes were “preventive”, meaning they were to prevent Iran from developing a capacity to be a threat, though UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres noted yesterday that so-called “preventive” strikes have no clear basis in international law.

Iran has since launched fresh missile attacks on US military bases in the Gulf region of the Middle East and Israel, after the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed yesterday.

Iran’s security chief had vowed to hit the US and Israel with a force “never experienced before” in retaliation.

McEntee said she was “extremely concerned” by the escalation, which has spread beyond Iran to the Gulf region, and confirmed she would be engaging with foreign leaders on efforts to de-escalate the crisis.

She stopped herself from outright condemning the US or Israel, however.

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— Helen McEntee TD (@HMcEntee) February 28, 2026

In a statement yesterday, Guterres said: “I condemn today’s military escalation in the Middle East. The use of force by the United States and Israel against Iran, and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, undermine international peace and security.”

Asked why she did not use the word ‘condemn’ or similar language to Guterres, McEntee said that the ongoing crisis is “an extremely difficult situation”.

“During my trip to the region in January, this was one of the biggest concerns for those that I spoke to, that an escalation, or any type of a conflict would increase violence within the region and could escalate things beyond repair,” McEntee said.

“However, I think we are all very aware and very clear that the regime in Iran is an absolutely brutal regime that has quite literally in the last number of weeks, slaughtered tens of thousands of their own citizens.

“That has not changed, so we need to make sure that everything that we do, and from Ireland’s perspective, the focus is on de-escalating the situation, but also trying to protect those in Iran, trying to protect those who have been put in prison, who have been brutally slaughtered over the last number of weeks as well.”

She also defended the Government’s handling of consular advice for Irish citizens in the region, amid criticism that updated travel guidance came too late and reports that some callers struggled to reach embassy staff.

Asked why advice was not issued on Friday ahead of the strikes, McEntee said: “We have to strike the balance between not causing panic without the actual evidence that something is going to happen, but then being able to respond quickly and effectively.”

The minister confirmed that a 24/7 consular assistance line in Dublin had been scaled up and urged citizens to use that number rather than contacting smaller embassy teams directly.

McEntee also reiterated official advice for Irish citizens in affected areas to “shelter in place” and avoid attempting to cross borders, saying there are currently no recommended evacuation routes.