Tag Archives: Iran

Mick Wallace MEP in the European Parliament

In the last few minutes.

At the European Parliament in Strasbourg during a debate about the situation in Iran and Iraq…

MEP Mick Wallace told the parliament:

“The crazy decision of the US to carry out the illegal assassination of [Qasem] Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and others is just the most recent testament to the fact that US is the most reckless, destabilising and dangerous political and military force on the planet at the moment.

“The US and their allies claim to be fighting a war on terror whenever they drop bombs and kill people.

“And here they’ve taken out some of the people who’ve done more to fight Isis than anyone else that we know.

“They’ve been asked to get out of Iraq. Are they going to get out of it? Are they going to recognise the democratic decision?

“They claim they have brought the democracy to Iraq. Are they going to respect it now?

“Commissioner, do you not agree that this region will be a safer place when the Americans are not in it?

“You talk about Iran not respecting the nuclear agreements. Do youse ever ask any questions of Israel?

“What in God’s name? Why won’t Europe show a bit of courage and stand up to the terrorism of America?”

Watch back in full here

Previously: Go And Shiite

US military planes at Shannon Airport; tweets from Irish Times journalist Simon Carswell

This morning.

Iran’s ambassador to Ireland Masoud Eslami spoke to journalists in Dublin.

Simon Carswell, of The Irish Times, reports:

On the question of whether Shannon could be targeted by Iran in response to US military action against Tehran, Mr Eslami said: “I would rule that out for the time being. This is a very far speculation. We are very far from such a situation.”

Mr Eslami called on the Irish Government to reconsider Shannon Airport being used by American troops transiting through Ireland as they travel between the United States and the country’s military bases in the Middle East.

“In principle, we would ask the authorities to reconsider the use of Shannon Airport to facilitate military action by the US, which has been an issue at the local level, at the national level in Ireland,” the diplomat told reporters at the Iran’s embassy in south Dublin.

Slain general Suleimani was Iran’s Michael Collins, says Iranian ambassador (Simon Carswell, The Irish Times)

Previously: For The Record (August 2014)

Nothing To Read Here (September 2014)

Dirty Stop Overs (July 2014)

US military planes at Shannon Airport

Further to the assassination of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani by a US drone at Baghdad International Airport in Iraq, last Friday…

This morning on RTÉ’s Today with Seán O’Rourke, presented by Cormac Ó hEadhra, Dublin MEP Clare Daly referred to the killing as a “catastrophic breach of all norms and the crossing of a red line”.

She went on to say Ireland is “culpable or complicit” when it comes to the actions of the US military, given its use of Shannon Airport.

Ms Daly added diplomatic assurances that there are no weapons onboard the planes are not good enough and that is why she and and fellow MEP Mick Wallace attempted to search a US military plane for weapons in Shannon Airport in 2014, They were subsequently arrested.

She said:

“We know from Tarak Kauff and Ken Mayers, the US Army veterans who were in Ireland for most of last year, that they transited when they were in the US Army through Shannon and that they had weaponry on them.

“So there’s no doubt about it. Why else would they be passing through to the Middle East? Thousands of troops are not going on their holidays.

“Clearly they’re engaged in military action and the monitoring of that aircraft by local groups on the ground, Shannonwatch, Shannon Radar, would vindicate that…”

She also said that she believed Tánaiste Simon Coveney should strongly condemn the “unlawful, illegal action of the United States government”.

She added:

“I think, in response he [Coveney] should say that all permission of the US military, to transit through Shannon [Airport] is being halted until the matter is investigated further.”

Meanwhile…

On Thursday, at 7pm, outside the US embassy in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

The Peace and Neutrality Alliance will hold a protest against a war on Iran.

They write:

The Peace and Neutrality Alliance along with a broad alliance of people from human rights to climate change activists and anti-war groups is calling for your support for this vigil outside the US Embassy in Dublin this Thursday.

Listen back in full here

“I’ll See What I Can Do”

Iraqi forces surround The US Embassy compound in Baghdad on January 1

This morning.

Further to the deaths of  Iranian Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US air strike….

 

Gulp.

U.S. embassy urges citizens to depart Iraq immediately: statement (Reuters)

Earlier: A Limerick A Day

 

Tehran on December 30 (top); anti-government protests across Iran

Protesters also attacked police stations elsewhere in Iran late into the night on Monday, news agency and social media reports said.

One member of the security forces was reported killed on Monday, bringing to at least 14 the death toll stemming from the boldest challenge to Iran’s clerical leadership since unrest in 2009.

…The semi-official ILNA news agency quoted Ali Asghar Naserbakht, the deputy governor of Tehran province, as saying that 200 people were arrested on Saturday in Tehran, 150 people on Sunday and about 100 people on Monday.

Iranian crackdown intensifies after police posts attacked (Reuters)

Hmm.
Iran protests: Supreme leader Khamenei blames ‘enemies’ (BBC)

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Sarah Callaghan (top) is from Dublin and travelling around Iran for a month on her own.

Sarah writes:

I have travelled most of Asia alone but have never felt safer and more welcomed than here in Iran. It’s a beautiful country to visit with a unique and kind people.

First day in the capital and I discover Bobby Sands Street in Tehran. A short walk from the newly opened hostel and cultural centre run by Facebook group See You In Iran, it is located along the walls of the British Embassy.

After the Iranian revolution, they renamed all the streets wanting to use inspiring and revolutionary names. On the entrance to the British Embassy, the street previously called Winston Churchill St., was renamed by local students in solidarity with Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands in 1981 (the sign is spelt phonetically).

The British embassy were not too pleased and changed their door to another side to prevent it being their address! Nowadays there is but a chained-up back door (third pic above).

At the time of the name changes and the hunger strike, local students were planning on storming the embassy and putting up Irish flags but couldn’t find any to buy, so they hand-made some. Yet, the orange looked red and, therefore, like the Iranian flag. So, to prevent confusion, they simply wrote signs “Bobby Sands St” and put them up until the name caught on.

I have read there is ironically a Bobby Sands burger restaurant here but when I visited the street in Tehran there was nothing, it is a very quiet street. However, I have heard rumours it is in fact in Esfahan so I will keep an eye.

There is more information and a great story from one of the students who named the street here.

In other Irish/Iranian relations, every male I meet – once they hear Ireland, they shout “Robbie Keane” and proceed to talk about how Ireland kicked Iran out of the World Cup. They also have a soft spot for Roy.

A little bit of home is everywhere…

Previously: Meanwhile, On Bobby Sands Street

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“The Islamic Republic of Iran is gravely concerned about the high rate of racial discrimination, related intolerance and racial profiling, especially against Muslim people and people of African origin in Ireland.”

“We know the measures taken by Irish government to address these human rights however we share the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s concerns regarding the state of health of children in single-parent families, children in poverty, Travellers, Roma children is significantly worse than the national average.”

“Therefore we would like to make the following recommendation to Ireland: to put in place a robust mechanism in order put an end to racism, discrimination and related intolerance, especially against Muslim people and people of African origin…”

A representative from the Islamic Republic of Iran speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this afternoon.

More to follow.

Watch proceedings live here

Previously: Free At Lunchtime?

UPDATE: