In the last couple of days, we’ve had the Taoiseach Michéal Martin saying Shannon Airport is not being used by US planes involved in the bombing of Iran, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee saying the same about Irish airspace.

Both are in the US at present. And the last thing they will do is criticise the Trump regime, even though they know it started an illegal, unnecessary and brutal war against Iran.

The standard line from the Irish government is that there is no evidence of weapons or planes involved in military operations or exercises passing through Shannon or Irish airspace.

But nobody can believe that when they see what’s landing at Shannon. Take today for example. We had a US Navy KC-130J Super Hercules landing at about 19.40 from Bardufoss Air Base Norway. We had a US Air Force Hercules C-130H that was there overnight. We had an Atlas Air Boeing 767 troop carrier that also spent the night at Shannon. And we had an Omni Air Boeing 767 troop carrier landing at about 14.33 coming from Naples and Sigonella in Sicily.

Michéal Martin and his government make sure nobody checks what’s on these planes. This makes it easier to say there is no evidence that they’re involved in the war in Iran.

It seems he is also unhappy with “certain quarters” (like Shannonwatch!) that are making “repeated attempts” to conflate Shannon with the war in Gaza and the current war in Iran.

We will continue to link Shannon to the genocide and war crimes for as long as these planes pass through the airport without inspections.

Helen McEntee also referred to “a really long-established procedure” that “makes it very clear that if you have any type of a military aircraft that is passing through or that’s stopping or refueling, that they cannot have munitions of war, they cannot be travelling to any type of a conflict”

She says the government is very clear that if any aircraft is to stop or is to go through our airspace, that those rules are to be adhered to. And she says they have no reason to suggest that they’re not.

A US regime that’s prepared to violate international law, kidnap and murder heads of states, and start illegal wars, will certainly lie about what’s on their planes passing over Ireland or through our airports. Especially when they know they won’t be searched.

Now that countries around the world are starting to say no to Trump, it’s time our government started to do the same. They should say no to the overflight or landing of US military planes in Ireland.

Or at the very least they should say we don’t trust you. And that means inspecting the US military planes that land in Shannon.