Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The US sanctions on financial transactions are an issue, but one can get around them. Between March 2018 and March 2019 we sold them approximately €140 million worth of goods. How was it managed? It can be done and if there is a will, there is a way. It is not just down to the regulations either. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has an issue in that it does not want to upset the US sanctions. However, the Europeans are getting around them and doing a great deal of business with Iran, but we are not. Consider the example of when we ran into problems in selling aluminium to the Russians because the United States had it on its list. There were many jobs at risk in Ireland and, rightly, we protected them. We got around the sanctions and reopened the sale of aluminium to Russia, despite the fact that it was on the US sanctions list. Where there is a will, there is a way. The State must facilitate the industry in selling to the Iranians. The blockage is not being caused by the Minister but is at foreign affairs level. The Minister should play a stronger hand to resolve the issue.

See this speech in context