Irish authorities are considering bussing citizens stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Oman before flying them home if flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi remain heavily restricted because of the Iran conflict.
Senior officials and Ministers met in Dublin on Monday to discuss the escalating crisis in the region after a combined US-Israeli attack on Iran killed Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and other senior regime figures.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris were briefed by the Defence Forces Chief of Staff and officials on Monday, discussing the consular response and contingency planning – as well as the situation with Irish troops serving on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), all of whom are reported as safe.
With very few flights taking off from the UAE, up to 22,000 Irish citizens are in the region. Some are residents and many others are stranded after transiting through the Gulf hubs on long-haul flights or unable to return after short visits.
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It is understood the main concern for Ireland is if the UAE begins to respond to missile and drone strikes launched on its territory by Tehran, which has been firing at US allies in the region since it was attacked on Saturday.
Among the contingencies being discussed is arranging bus transfers for Irish people to Oman, where airspace is less restricted, to be met by charter flights contracted by the Government. Irish officials expect the conflict to continue for several weeks, with concerns that evacuations from the UAE could become even more difficult if it responded to strikes.
Financial assistance for those stranded would also be considered, a senior source said, if it became necessary – although many are being put up in hotels in the emirates without charge or at reduced rates.
Lists are being compiled of vulnerable Irish people in the region, including older and sick people, who may need to be prioritised.
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McEntee on Monday urged Irish people in the region to register with her department in order to provide “a complete picture of who exactly is in the region”.
“Obviously, the longer this goes on the more distressing it is for people, not just for those in the region but for the family members here who are trying to get them home and are concerned as to how this may escalate,” she said.
“Our team here in Ireland is working around the clock to make sure we can answer calls and respond to calls.”
The Tánaiste on Monday said not many tears would be shed for Khamenei. Asked why the Government had not condemned the attack by the US and Israel on Iran, as it had done with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Harris said what happened in Ukraine was in no way comparable to what he called the “despotic regime” in Iran.
“I think there’s complexity here. The [Iranian] regime that slaughtered so many of its own people, it is a regime that had no respect for human rights, for women, for protest.”
Harris, also Minister for Finance, said that as Ireland has an open island economy, the Government had to monitor very carefully the potential impacts the escalating conflict would have for the country. He maintained there would be “plenty of time for examination and consideration of the rights and wrongs of certain actions” and added the priority of the Government at the moment was to argue for de-escalation and restraint.
McEntee said it was a fast and evolving situation and Irish consular services had been trying to assess what was safe, what routes were open and what the possible options were.
She said the Irish authorities had in the past chartered flights and that could be an option in certain circumstances.
Regarding Irish troops in Lebanon, McEntee said there had been “significant strikes” by both Hizbullah and Israel.
“What I’m informed of is that our troops will be staying there for the moment. That is the intention, that throughout this they will stay there. They are sheltered and they are safe.”
She said any longer-term decision on the troops would be taken in conjunction with Unifil.
