I first and foremost send my solidarity to the innocent people in Iran and the broader Middle East who are caught in the middle of this illegal war between a brutal and repressive Iranian regime, a genocidal Israeli regime and an increasingly fascist and autocratic American regime. By the way, this is not a "situation" in the Middle East, which is the title the Government has put on this speaking slot. This is an illegal war and a flagrant breach of international law, prosecuted in the first instance by the US and Israel. Even the title of today's statements betrays our Government's lack of backbone in calling it out as such. I also send my solidarity today to those who have fought for decades for democracy in Iran and continue to do so, and I pay tribute to all who have given their lives for that cause. It is the Iranian people, not Donald Trump or Benjamin Netanyahu, who must choose their next leaders. We must be clear that the US and Israel do not have the best interests of the Iranian people in their minds when they do this. They are in it for themselves, but there are civil society groups and leaders in Iran calling for international partners to help them facilitate an international dialogue to enable a self-determined transition in Iran. We want Ireland and our Government to play a leading role in that process, but we will not get there by pussyfooting around in how we describe what is happening. This is an illegal war, so will the Minister please be clear on that, ask the Taoiseach to be clear on that and condemn the US and Israel for it? It represents a flagrant breach of international law and US constitutional law. This is not a war of self-defence on America's part. There was no imminent threat. This is a war of opportunism. Benjamin Netanyahu saw an opportunity to take out the Ayatollah, something he has been trying to do since the 1990s, and his lapdog Donald Trump has been more than willing to do his bidding for him with, even for this Trump Administration, a shocking lack of foresight or a plan for what comes next. We know the Iranian regime is tyrannical, totalitarian and deeply repressive. We have seen it murder thousands of Iranian people just in recent months. We in the Labour Party have been consistent and forceful in our condemnation of that Iranian regime and in our support for pro-democracy movements and women's rights campaigners, and no one more so than my colleague Deputy Smith, who has been the loudest and most consistent voice in this House in calling out the brutal Iranian regime. However, as our party leader, Deputy Bacik, said during Leaders' Questions earlier this week, two things can be true at once. We can oppose an authoritarian regime and still insist that international law is upheld. There is no evidence basis for this war. There was no imminent threat. A number of things have got us to where we are today. As Deputy Smith discussed, Donald Trump ripped up the Iran nuclear deal, the JCPOA. That has set the course for where the Middle East is today. Its impact has been profound and completely undermined the ambition of nuclear non-proliferation. In Europe, too, we need to be honest about our own role in the path towards this war. For years, the US and Israel have been given carte blanche to behave however they like and to run roughshod over international law without any meaningful consequences. As a community of nations, and as individual states in Europe, we have acquiesced, appeased and stayed silent, and so we have emboldened the Trump and Netanyahu regimes and allowed them to believe the normal rules do not apply to them. No real effort has been made to impose sanctions at European level. Here at home, the occupied territories Bill has effectively been abandoned despite election promises. Israel has been allowed to level Gaza, murder with impunity and continue to expand its illegal settlements in the West Bank. If the Taoiseach is still intent on travelling to the US for St. Patrick's Day and visiting the Oval Office, it cannot be another exercise in pandering. The Irish people will not allow our heritage to be used to shamrock-wash the flagrant breaches of international and domestic law carried out by Donald Trump. Ireland is in a unique position to have an annual face-to-face meeting in the White House with the President, but what good is that if we are simply going to use it to gloss over the erosion of democracy and international law at the hands of our supposed ally? The Taoiseach must have the moral courage and steel to speak up at this unique opportunity for the UN, for peace and for upholding international law. I will not hold my breath. We call on the Minister to ensure the Taoiseach does not continue his policy of appeasement towards Trump. While we can condemn the Iranian regime and its authoritarianism, the actions of Israel and America completely undermine the international rules-based order.

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