Any regime change in Iran should happen from within: Micheál Martin
If a regime change is to happen in Iran, it should happen from within Iran, according to Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
He was reacting to the weekend decision by the US to send planes and submarines into Iran to attack sites linked to Iran's nuclear programme, in Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz.
It came after Israel launched strikes on Iran 10 days earlier, also targeting the country's nuclear programme.
Iran has issued threats to retaliate, while US president Donald Trump also warned of further action.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday the mission was not "and has not been about regime change". However, Mr Trump said on Truth Social on Sunday: 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!'
Responding, Mr Martin said on Monday: 'We all know what can transpire. We saw it in Iraq, we saw it in Libya, we saw it in Syria, and it is very very important — any changes, if changes have to happen, should happen from within Iran.
'In respect of Iran, we must all learn lessons from what happened in Libya, what happened in Syria, what happened in Iraq in the past. That has to be a clear focus in terms of how the situation should be managed. In our view, those involved should now de-escalate. Diplomacy and dialogue is the only way forward.'
Mr Martin added: 'We need first of all an absolute de-escalation, we need an end to the war, we need an end to the war in Gaza, terrible slaughter of the innocents in Gaza which cannot continue.
"We need a huge surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza.'
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Trump contradicts administration saying he is open to regime change in Iran
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The Irish Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
LA cops forced to delete ‘offensive' post about US strikes on Iran and admit it was ‘unacceptable' in lengthy apology
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LA County Sheriff's Department's statement The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department issued the following apology after sharing a post about the US airstrikes on Iran: We are issuing this statement to formally apologize for an offensive and inappropriate social media post recently posted on our Department social media platforms We fully recognize that the words and messages we share carry weight. As law enforcement professionals, we are entrusted with a position of public responsibility, and that trust demands that we communicate accurately. In this instance, we fell short of that expectation, and we are taking quick corrective action. We are committed to learning from this failure and to prevent such incidents from occurring again. We have updated our social media post and have launched an internal review to determine how it was created and published. 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The Irish Sun
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- The Irish Sun
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Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
The Indo Daily Extra: Trump's Gamble – striking Iran, backing Israel and raising the stakes
It's a move that could ignite a regional firestorm and potentially set a worrying precedent in how countries engage in conflict. The world is braced for Iran's response after the US attacked key Iranian nuclear sites, taking a gamble by joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. With the damage visible from space after 30,000lb US bunker-buster bombs crashed into the mountain above Iran's Fordow nuclear site, Tehran vowed to defend itself at all costs. It fired another volley of missiles at Israel that wounded scores of people and flattened buildings in Tel Aviv. The US State Department ordered employees' family members to leave Lebanon and advised citizens elsewhere in the region to keep a low profile or restrict travel. An advisory from the US Department of Homeland Security warned of a 'heightened threat environment in the United States'. Law enforcement in major US cities stepped up patrols and deployed additional resources to religious, cultural and diplomatic sites. Tehran has so far not followed through on its threats of retaliation against the US – either by targeting US bases or trying to choke off global oil supplies – but that may not hold. Today on this Indo Daily Extra, Tabitha Monahan is joined by Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East Correspondent with The Economist to discuss what might come next after a troubling 2 days for international relations.
