As many as 2,000 Irish people are actively trying to leave the Gulf region as violence escalates across the Middle East, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee has said.
She has said that between 1,500 to 2,000 Irish citizens have registered or contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs to say they were stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar due to flights being suspended in the region.
“I would say between 1,500 to 2,000 are actively trying to leave, or they are halfway through their holiday, or they would like to be able to leave soon,” McEntee said.
In an interview with The Irish Times, she said that more than 23,400 citizens were registered in the wider region, though she stressed the true resident figure was likely closer to 22,000.
“For a small country, we have an unusually large population in the Middle East, in particular in the UAE and Qatar,” she said.
“The focus over the last two days has been to communicate because when people don’t hear from you, that’s where panic sets in.”
At present, only a limited number of flights are operating from Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The Government is examining options including chartering flights and activating European Union civil protection mechanisms, which would involve seeking co-ordinated assistance at an EU level such as sharing flights and logistics with other member states.
There is also a contingency plan being prepared which would involve evacuation to Oman by land.
A list is also being compiled by consular staff of the most vulnerable people, including the elderly, pregnant women and those with medical conditions. They will be prioritised for early evacuation.
“I can’t give you a timeline [for when operations will start], because everything depends on what it’s safe to do,” she said.
McEntee said she expected Taoiseach Micheál Martin to raise Ireland’s concerns about the recent US and Israeli attack when he met US president Donald Trump at the White House later this month for his annual St Patrick’s Day visit to Washington.
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While stressing it would be a matter for the Taoiseach to decide how he approaches the meeting, she said Ireland has always used high-level engagements in Washington to address global issues of concern.
“If this is still going on in the way that it currently is, I have no doubt that there will be conversations about it,” she said.
“I can’t speak directly for the Taoiseach but it would be an opportunity to raise the concerns that we have.”
Asked if she or the Government condemned the action, she did not respond directly to the question but said the Government’s view was that there should be US Congressional approval for the US military action and there should also have been a United Nations mandate.
“That hasn’t happened here. We have been very clear. We don’t think it has been the right approach.”
McEntee also confirmed that no US military aircraft have transited through Shannon Airport since last weekend in connection with the conflict.
“Specifically in terms of military aircraft, I’m not aware of any that have stopped or sought permission, certainly since the weekend,” she said.
She said any such requests would have to comply with Ireland’s long-standing arrangements governing military overflights and landings, including requirements for permission where weapons or munitions are on board.
The Minister expressed deep concern about what she described as the erosion of the international-based order.
“It feels as though in the last year alone we probably have had more upheaval in terms of the international order than we have seen in decades before,” she said.
“In recent years we have seen more conflicts happening across the globe than since second World War. The ways in which previously they would have been resolved, that is not working.”
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McEntee strongly rejected Opposition claims that the Government has taken a softer line in its condemnation than it did following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I’m not sure you can equate a democratic country like Ukraine with an Iranian regime that is quite literally a despotic regime and has massacred its own citizens in recent weeks and has stopped all communication,” she said.
“So if Labour and other parties including Sinn Féin are going to suggest that Ukraine is similar to Iran, I would wholeheartedly push back on that.”
She pointed to the complexity of the regional situation, referring to Iran’s role in supporting armed groups across the Middle East and the instability it has caused.
“I don’t think there’s an easy answer here,” she said.
“This is a very dangerous moment. The focus has to be how we bring stability back and how we de-escalate what is happening.”