Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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403. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the Irish embassy in Tehran, Iran, will be reopened; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16676/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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At present, Ireland’s diplomatic network includes 61 Embassies, 7 multilateral missions, 11 Consulates General and one Representative office. The configuration and scale of the State’s diplomatic 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. However, resource constraints do not allow us to have resident representation in all the locations that might objectively justify it having regard to those factors.

Ireland’s bilateral relationship with Iran is sustained and promoted through the Embassy of Ireland in Ankara on a concurrent basis. Ireland is also represented in Iran by an Honorary Consul.