Debate contribution: Illegal US and Israeli Attacks on Iran

Debate contribution by Mr Pat Sheehan on 16 March 2026.

MLA

Mr Pat Sheehan

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

16 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Illegal US and Israeli Attacks on Iran

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5449275

Read the official Assembly record

Text

When the previous contributor started talking about private armies, I thought for a second that he was going to tell us about his party's private army, Ulster Resistance, and the shipment of weapons that it brought in from the apartheid regime in South Africa — weapons that were used to murder hundreds of innocent Catholics. Members of your party were dancing around in their pink berets. If I had not known better, I might have thought that they were going to a gay pride parade. Just over two weeks ago, we witnessed unprovoked military attacks by the US and Israel on Iran, which were a clear breach of international law. What makes those attacks even more alarming is the context in which they occurred: at the time, the US was sitting at the negotiation table with Iran in talks that were facilitated by Oman. Launching military strikes during negotiations represents a profound act of bad faith, and that was the second such act that we have seen in the past nine months. What has followed has been an indiscriminate bombing campaign, including attacks that have impacted civilian populations. One of the darkest moments came with the bombing of a school where more than 160 children — young girls — were killed while sitting in their classrooms. I have not heard anybody from the DUP condemn that yet. It is difficult to imagine a more horrific act. Initially, the US denied responsibility, yet emerging evidence points to a US attack that destroyed that school and murdered the children.

Go raibh maith agat.

I agree with everything that the Member said. The scale of destruction is staggering. Reports in the 'Financial Times' have indicated that the US/Israeli assault has bombed more than 20,000 non-military buildings across Iran. Of those, more than 17,000 are believed to be residential homes. It appears that attacking children in their schools was not enough; they are also followed to their homes. When the Canadian Prime Minister spoke in Davos recently, he made a striking admission. He said that the story of the so-called international rules-based order was "partially false" and:

"international law applied with varying rigour depending on the identity of the accused or the victim."

When we look at the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and now this illegal attack on Iran, it becomes increasingly difficult to argue otherwise.

For Palestinians and for Iranians, this so-called rules-based order does not appear to protect them.

What is, perhaps, even more shocking is what has happened to those who attempt to uphold international law. Individuals who speak out are being attacked, silenced and sanctioned. From the UN's special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, who has called out Israel's illegal actions in Palestine, to judges of the International Criminal Court investigating Israeli war crimes, we have seen sanctions placed upon them and clear attempts to silence and intimidate them and stop their work. Those attempting to uphold the law are punished while those who break it are aided and supported in carrying out further acts of violence — a further demonstration that international law does not apply equally. Meanwhile, the situation in Iran and across the broader region is spiralling with no clear end in sight. There is no plan and no pathway to peace, only the certainty of further death, destruction and instability. Those actions are not without consequences here at home. We already see spiralling fuel costs, particularly for home heating oil. For more than half a million homes and struggling families, those rising prices present very real hardship. Home heating oil has more than doubled in price — a direct consequence of this war, compounded by multinational corporations exploiting the situation and profiteering off the backs of ordinary people. If this continues, we know exactly what will follow: higher inflation, rising interest rates and even greater pressure on the daily cost of living. Sinn Féin's focus has remained clear. First, on the human impact of this war on the Iranian people, we have called for a complete cessation of hostilities, a return to negotiations and adherence to international law. Secondly, on the economic impact here at home, we have called for urgent and meaningful financial support to help struggling families to deal with those huge price increases. I contrast that with the approach taken by others in the Chamber. Last Monday, they were cheerleaders for this illegal war. On Tuesday, they suddenly realised the consequences and attempted to back-pedal. By Wednesday, we saw a strategy of distraction and misinformation, and, by Thursday, those tactics had been exposed. It reminds me of the story of the emperor's new clothes: a case of collective delusion and too much pride to admit that they got it wrong. Instead, speaking honestly about what this war is doing, the truth is simple: this war is wrong, both legally and morally. We will not be complicit in it. It is hurting people, it is destructive and has no end in sight. The people of Ireland understand something that the international community seems to have forgotten. We know the power of dialogue, we know the importance of international law and human rights and we know the power of peace. We voted for those principles in the Good Friday Agreement. That is where international focus should be now, on stopping the war.

Will the Member give way?

Since you are going to talk about Iranians, will you talk about the more than 160 young girls — children — who were murdered by a United States missile?

Do you condemn that?

926 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Flagged Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism

Second assessment

Jev’s answers did not settle this record, so a second model, claude-opus-5-5, read the same text (without the MLA’s name or party) and gave its reasons on 21 October 2026. How the second assessment works

Verdict

Flagged

Public interest or divisiveness

Mixed

Against the published rubric

Most of the text is a substantive argument about the legality and human cost of military strikes on Iran and the effect of rising heating-oil prices on households here, which is legitimate debate on a foreign conflict. However, it opens with a gratuitous attack linking an opposing party to a loyalist paramilitary group and weapons used to murder "hundreds of innocent Catholics". It then mocks that party's members in "pink berets" as if "going to a gay pride parade", a joke that uses Pride as ridicule. That passage is identity-based point-scoring on a Troubles flashpoint, unrelated to the motion, and meets the rubric's dog-whistle and escalation tests even though the rest does not.

Public interest or divisiveness

The bulk of the contribution deals with substance: civilian casualties, international law, calls for a ceasefire and financial support for struggling families. The opening, by contrast, drags a sectarian legacy row and a mocking reference to gay pride into a debate about Iran. Its evident function is to score a communal point against opponents, and repeated demands that a named party condemn the strikes add to the point-scoring. Both elements are substantial, so the overall effect is mixed.

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:13 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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