Irish PM pushes Trump on Iran -- politely Estelle.Bronkhorst Wed, 03/18/2026 - 06:00 WASHINGTON - It wasn't quite a Zelensky moment. But mild-mannered Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin still had a couple of tense exchanges with US President Donald Trump. In the annual Saint Patrick's Day visit to the Oval Office, Martin begged to differ with Trump on issues from the Iran war to migration to relations with the prime minister of Britain. "That's what we want, is a peaceful resolution of conflict. That's where we come from as a small nation," Martin told reporters about the Middle East war. The 65-year-old Taoiseach was under political pressure at home to talk tough to Trump amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. Last year Irish hearts were in mouths as Martin talked trade tensions with Trump just days after the US leader's infamous White House slanging-match with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Then as now, Martin chose a polite but firm approach to Trump, who spent much of the question-and-answer session berating US allies for rebuffing his calls to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Noting the transatlantic tensions after Trump accused NATO of making a "foolish mistake" by not backing the United
