Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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93. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions Ireland and the European Union are taking in relation to recent political events in Iran; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4098/23]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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118. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the action he has taken to date to sanction the Iranian authorities responsible for the brutal suppression of peaceful protest; his views on whether the Iran Revolutionary Guard should be listed as a terrorist entity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4001/23]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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120. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he agrees with the call made by European Parliament to classify Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4335/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 93, 116, 118 and 120 together.

Sanctions are an important foreign policy tool, used to deter States from pursuing actions which threaten international stability, or from harming citizens in their own country. Since 2011, the EU has applied sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for human rights violations in Iran. Ireland works with our EU partners to ensure that all sanctions are targeted and, where necessary, contain clear exemptions for humanitarian actors.

At the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council in October, November, and December 2022, sixty individuals and eight entities were sanctioned under the EU’s existing Iran human rights sanctions regime. The EU has also sanctioned seven individuals and five entities under the Ukraine territorial integrity sanctions regime, in relation to the supply of drones to Russia. On 23 January 2023, the Foreign Affairs Council agreed to a further sanctions package targeting 37 additional persons and entities under the Iran Human Rights sanctions regime. Further sanctions will be considered in the coming weeks as the situation develops.

I am aware of the non-binding vote of 19 January by the European Parliament to add the IRGC to the EU’s list of terrorist organisations, in relation to “terrorist activity, the repression of protesters, and its supplying of drones to Russia.”

It is important to note that since 2010 the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been sanctioned by the EU due to its role in the development of Iran’s nuclear programme, which includes asset freezes and travel bans. Further listing of the IRGC under another EU sanctions regime would have limited practical impacts given the existing designation already in place. I also note also that HRVP Borrell has said that the first step towards a terrorist designation of the IRGC by the EU would be a determination by a court in an EU Member State that the IRGC has engaged in terrorism.

Ireland and the EU will continue to work closely with our international partners to ensure that there is a coordinated and firm response to Iran and its ongoing human rights abuses, nuclear activities, supply of weapons to Russia, and destabilising activities in the region.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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94. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is concerned about recent statements by the incoming Israeli Prime Minister, and their clear sanctioning of further illegal settlements and annexations in the West Bank; if he will raise this at EU and UN forums; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4397/23]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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115. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the new Israeli government’s stated intentions to develop settlements in the Palestinian West Bank and the further annexation of territory; the Government’s plans to react to the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4383/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 115 together.

Ireland’s position on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory is clear; the continued establishment and expansion of settlements is a violation of international law and is unacceptable. This position was reiterated at the UN Security Council on 19 December, which focused on the implementation of UNSC Resolution 2334. On that occasion, Ireland also led a joint press statement by a number of States demanding that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and that it fully respect all of its legal obligations in that regard.  

Ireland’s Embassy in Tel Aviv also raises the issue directly in its regular contacts with the Israeli Government, and Ireland's Representative Office in Ramallah has made a number of visits along with EU colleagues to sensitive sites of concern in the West Bank, including Masafer Yatta.

It is deeply concerning that the stated intentions of the Israeli Government continue to show disregard for the clear international consensus around this issue. It is important that the international community supports the Palestinian Authority in its recourse to legal and political responses to the occupation. 

I had the opportunity to discuss this issue in a phone call with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki on 18 January, during which he shared his deep concern at the deteriorating situation. I also welcome that the Foreign Affairs Council on 23 January provided an opportunity for both Prime Minister Shtayyeh and Foreign Minister Malki to raise these troubling developments with the EU collectively.

Ireland remains committed to supporting all efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting two-State solution, with the Jerusalem as the capital of both States, on the basis of international law and agreed international parameters.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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95. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has sought a meeting with the Iranian ambassador in regard to executions committed by the Iranian regime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4439/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 95, 104, 113, 125 and 137 together.

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody in Iran on 16 September, 2022 was a tragedy. The fact that she was arrested simply due to the way she was dressed understandably provoked a strong response from the Iranian people and the international community.

The subsequent violence perpetrated by the Iranian security forces against peaceful protestors has been disproportionate and unjustified. The execution of protestors by the Iranian authorities is deeply concerning, and I urge Iran to declare an immediate moratorium on the death penalty.

I commend the courage of the Iranian women and men who continue to exercise their fundamental rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. I extend my condolences to the loved ones of all those who have died in the protests since September of last year. The protestors’ slogan of "Women, Life, Freedom" has resonated with many in Ireland as well.

Ireland has been clear in condemning Iran’s oppression of peaceful protests. Ireland expects Iran to uphold its international obligations, particularly the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. These instruments enshrine the rights of freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and the fundamental and unalienable rights of women and girls. We have also strongly condemned Iran’s supply of weapons and miliary equipment to Russia, which have been repeatedly used to target civilians and critical infrastructure in Ukraine.

Ireland raises human rights concerns with Iran at every suitable opportunity. In 2022, Ireland again co-sponsored the annual resolution at the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, which addresses a broad range of human rights violations in Iran. Ireland also co-sponsored the convening of a special session of the Human Rights Council on 24 November 2022 which voted to create a fact-finding mission to investigate and report on the human rights situation in Iran.

Since the protests began in September 2022, we have repeatedly raised our concerns directly with the Iranian government, including with the Foreign Minister of Iran in September and October, and summoning of the Iranian Ambassador in Dublin on 20 October, 9 January and 16 January to meet with senior officials. I also spoke with the Ambassador on 20 January. Our Chargé d'Affaires in Tehran regularly raises our concerns directly with Iranian officials,as does our Ambassador to Iran (based in Ankara) during her visits to Tehran.

My Department will continue to monitor developments in Iran, and to raise our concerns consistently and directly with the Iranian government. We will maintain close coordination with our partners in the EU to ensure there is a joint, coordinated, and clear response to the actions of the Iranian authorities.