Iran confirms U.S. plans to deport hundreds of its citizens, with the first 120 deportees expected to arrive in Tehran within days [Image by Asharq Al-Awsat]
(The Post News) – Iran alleges the United States is to deport hundreds of its citizens in the coming weeks, starting with 120 Iranians on a flight set to arrive within a matter of days. The move escalates tensions between Washington and Tehran, which were already strained after U.S. bombing raids in June on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Director General of Parliamentary and Consular Affairs, Hossein Noushabadi, affirmed the deportation plans. Almost 400 Iranians are to be deported, he said, most of whom entered the U.S. illegally through Mexico. The others, he added, had visa or residency problems.
A U.S.-chartered plane carrying the first group of deportees left Louisiana on Monday, bound for Doha, Qatar, and then on to Tehran. Qatari authorities have been mum, but Iranian authorities are expecting the flight to arrive “within one or two days.”
Trump’s Immigration Push
Mass deportations have been a priority for President Donald Trump’s second term. He has promised the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, even as his administration struggles with increasing total removals.
The deportations are at odds with decades of U.S. policy that regularly granted asylum or protection to Iranian dissidents and exiles after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
They already took the initial step and deported 120 Iranians who had crossed in illegally, mostly through Mexico,” Noushabadi said. He urged Washington to “respect the rights of Iranian migrants.”
The deportations come just months after the United States and Israel bombed Iranian nuclear facilities in a 12-day war. While Tehran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, Washington accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons.
Despite the hostility, the two governments cooperated on the deportation flights. An Iranian official stressed that the transfers are “consular matters, not political agreements.”
Rights Group Raises Concerns
The White House and U.S. State Department declined to comment. The New York Times reported the deportations followed months of negotiations between the two governments.
The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) warned that governments are bound to give migrants access to asylum and must not return them to a place where they would face injury. Deportations were also criticized by human rights activists, who said they could return vulnerable Iranians to persecution.
The first group of deportees included convicted criminals and unauthorized migrants. Some volunteered to leave after months in detention centers, while others resisted orders to deport.
The mission is a rare instance of logistical cooperation between Tehran and Washington, but one that is set to heighten political suspicion.
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