Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I see that the factors raised by the Deputy possibly warrant a reopening of the resident embassy in Teheran. Iran is a very important regional actor. We want to understand their policies and influence them, but there are also a number of strongly negative aspects to Iranian's actions. These include regional conflicts, missile development and human rights issues. Iran's role in Syria and its support for the Assad regime has prolonged the conflict there. While these aspects do not preclude us from looking at reopening the embassy, they have to be recognised. I agree that on the economic front Iran is very clearly an expanding and growing economy, and the Government recognises there is potential there not just for engagement, but also export and import potential for Irish business, but it cannot be understated that Iran remains complex and difficult, and the market there remains complex and difficult to operate in.

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