Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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34. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if it is the Government's intention to reestablish an embassy in Iran. [31815/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Embassy of Ireland in Ankara is accredited on a non-residential basis to Iran. Ireland is also represented in Iran by an Honorary Consul.

The configuration and scale of the State's diplomatic and consular network is kept under ongoing review by the Government. A range of factors are taken into account in considering our diplomatic representation overseas, including our national political, economic and trade priorities, as well as the availability of resources.

The Government is of course conscious of the political, economic and trade factors that might warrant the opening of a resident diplomatic mission in Iran – as in a number of other countries. This will be taken fully into account in the work that is ongoing.