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TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS has said that three Irish citizens or dependents, including two children, were helped to evacuate Iran overnight and will now travel home.
In a statement, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence thanked “our European friends and partners for their excellent support”.
“All citizens still in Iran are reminded to register at citizensregistration.dfa.ie so we can stay in touch and keep you updated on important developments,” he said.
It follows the successful evacuation of 15 Irish citizens and their dependents from Israel yesterday.
Tensions in the Middle East are continuing to escalate after the US bombed three nuclear enrichment sites in Iran following a week of missile strikes between Tehran and Tel Aviv that began after Israel pre-emptively attacked its military and nuclear facilities.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has advised Irish citizens not to travel to Israel or Iran during this period amid the anticipation of further missile strikes from both sides.
There had been discussions in recent days regarding the potential evacuation of Irish passport holders who are residing in Israel and Iran.
The Tánaiste had said that Ireland was working with other EU member states to help people leave “when it’s possible and safe to do so”.
Around 29 Irish citizens in Iran had registered with the Irish embassy, with around 200 registering in Israel.
No plans have been put into effect for Irish troops to evacuate Irish citizens from either Iran or Israel.
Sources have told The Journal that there are not yet any proposals to deploy an Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) to the region.
It is understood that the Army Ranger Wing, which was previously been deployed with ECATs in Afghanistan and Sudan, has not been ordered to prepare for Irish evacuations from Iran or Israel.
Harris said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Irish Embassies have remained in regular contact with Irish citizens in the region throughout the conflict.
“We have worked closely with our EU and other partners to exchange information and coordinate our consular response to the situation,” he said.
Harris is travelling to the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels today, where the weekend’s US bombing of nuclear sites in Iran is expected to dominate proceedings.
He is expected to update his fellow foreign ministers on a call he had with Iran’s deputy foreign minister yesterday, and urge the EU to use all channels to call for de-escalation and to attempt to salvage negotiations over Iran’s nuclear energy programme.
Harris will also address Israel’s ongoing war on the Palestinian enclave, where the world is watching “dystopian scenes” unfold.
He will say that it is his expectation that the EU will take “swift and concrete action” in response to the review of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza.
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