An estimated 4,500 people have been reported killed during the latest round of protests in Iran. This figure could be more than 12,000 when all the figures have been checked. This follows 2022 protests when 551 people, including 68 children, were confirmed killed. In 2019, up to 1,500 people were killed. In 2017-18, 41 protesters were killed. In 2009, 70 protesters were killed. These are only the numbers of those killed in documented protests and crackdowns by this murderous and undemocratic regime. It does not include executions after unfair trials or political prisoners' deaths in custody. Iran has significantly increased its executions in recent years and now reportedly carries out more than half of all executions in the world outside China. Last year saw a record number of executions and it looks like this number could be dwarfed this year, even with some of the recent postponements. This regime is brutal and, for example, recently took part in a raid of the Imam Khomeini Hospital, carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, which answers directly to the Ayatollah. A nurse on site shared information that the IRGC beat patients who were wounded, staff and families with batons. The glass entrances were smashed and they stormed the wards with tear gas. Children in the paediatric wards also suffered intense beatings. This attack on the hospital is one example of a crime against humanity. I note that Ireland raises the issue of the death penalty privately and bilaterally in contacts with Iranian leaders and officials in Ireland and Iran, including in the last round of political consultations with representatives of the Iranian foreign ministry held in 2024. We also do so publicly and multilaterally and in the UN General Assembly Human Rights Council, but now it has gone to another level. In this context, it is good to see the European Parliament has a forthcoming plenary vote on a resolution concerning the repression of protesters in Iran. Will the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach be asking Irish MEPs to support this resolution? I also note that recently the accreditation ceremony for the new Iranian ambassador was postponed. Will it be postponed indefinitely, given the situation? On a related note, I would also like to know what contacts, if any, the Irish Government has with opposition groups based in and outside Iran, including those who claim to be in a position to form a provisional government pending free and fair elections. Has the Irish Government called for the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, unilaterally or in an EU context? The Iranian people I have met are a warm, friendly and inclusive bunch. They, unfortunately, followed one murderous dictatorship with another theocratic brutal regime. None of the elections held in recent years were free or fair in any way. In this context, it is important for the international community to take a stand.

Sentiment score: -0.23

As the Tánaiste correctly said, this despotic regime funds terrorism and murder across the globe, including against our neighbours in Ukraine who have been subject to attacks by drones produced in Iran. I am conscious of the geopolitical context for any US Administration or Israeli attack. We have had lots of discussions about the occupied territories Bill and the genocide in Gaza and I have spoken on those, but Iran tends to get ignored in this context. The European Union needs to be careful about how we frame things. When the Cypriot ambassador was making a presentation to the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs yesterday, he pointed out the Middle East is one of Cyprus's priorities during its Presidency. Given our historic neutrality and our peacekeeping missions throughout the world, could Ireland continue this focus on conflicts in the Middle East, not only in Palestine, but also in countries like Iran and Sudan?

Sentiment score: -0.19