An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-26
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Sharon Keogan (IND), Industrial and Commercial Panel

This House must not allow any blurring of responsibility, something I feel the media latched onto as the Government hid behind the President's more outspoken views. The Executive made this decision, not the President. We must ask who made this call, and why now? This decision comes against the backdrop of ongoing repression in Iran, a regime accused of killing thousands of protesters and detaining tens of thousands more with credible reports of torture, rape and systemic brutality used to silence dissent. Whatever one may think of America's ongoing war with Iran, this does not change the fact that the current Iranian regime has the blood of its own citizens on its hands.
At the very same time, across Europe, there have been serious discussions about designating an element of that state's apparatus, namely, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a terrorist organisation due to its role in repression and destabilisation and, in some cases, it has been decided to do so. I ask again: what changed between the decision to postpone this accreditation earlier this year and the decision to now proceed? What assessment was carried out? What assurances, if any, were received? How does the Government reconcile this step with Ireland's stated commitment to human rights? Ireland has long prided itself on speaking with moral clarity on the world stage. Today, that clarity appears absent. The Government must come before this House to explain who authorised this decision, the rationale behind it and how it aligns with the values we claim to uphold.
Before I conclude, I wish to respectfully address remarks made last week when I blew out some of the candles on Fianna Fáil's 100th birthday cake. I appreciate that some colleagues defended their party in a measured and thoughtful way. That is always welcome. However, I noted a sharper tone from others. I must ask why they were shouting and raising their voices. What made them shout about what I said? By all means, let us have robust debate but challenge my viewpoints based on the arguments I have actually made.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-26