Iran Criticizes Trump’s Renewed Travel Ban as Discriminatory

By Kamaran Aziz

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Iranian government has issued a response to a new executive order by the U.S. President Donald Trump, which reinstate travel restrictions on citizens of Iran and 11 other countries. Iranian officials have labelled the measure discriminatory and inconsistent with international norms. The announcement coincides with ongoing nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

According to a report by BBC Persian, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Saturday that Trump’s June 5 executive order – banning the entry of citizens from 12 countries including Iran – was discriminatory and reflected continued policy of exclusion.

Alireza Hashemi Raja, Director General of Iranian Expatriate Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affair, issued a statement asserting that the decision undermines core principles of international law, including non-discrimination and basic human rights.

The BBC Persian wrote that the President Trump’s executive order was issued in response to a recent attack in Colorado involving an Egyptian national at a Jewish gathering. The directive, which cites national security concerns, will take effect on Monday.

In addition to Iran, the travel bans apply to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Trump stated that the goal of the directive is to protect the United States from foreign security threats.

The measure recalls a similar 2017 order issued during President Trump’s first term in office, which initially targeted seven Muslim-majority countries. That order was challenged in the U.S. courts and later upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018 before being revoked later by President Joe Biden in 2021.

However, BBC noted that this new version has been framed more broadly. While the 2017 order focused primarily on religious demographics, the current measure cites additional criteria such as visa overstay rates and regional political instability. Nevertheless, countries like Iran, Libya, and Somalia appear on both lists.

Unlike the 2017 ban, which had a specified duration of 90 to 120 days, the current order does not include an end date.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry also rejected the classification of the country as a state sponsor of terrorism – an accusation that has long been part of U.S. foreign policy discourse. The Iranian Ministry argued that the new directive constitutes a form of collective punishment and misrepresents Iran’s role in regional security.

“This is not solely a visa policy,” Hashemi Raja stated. “Restricting the movement of individuals based on nationality or religion risks contravening international human rights standards.”

The executive order also asserts that Iran is a source of terrorism, lacks cooperation on security matters, and has previously declined to accept deportable nationals from the United States. These claims reflect long-standing U.S. concerns over Iran’s support for groups such as Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The announcement comes at a delicate time, as Tehran and Washington remain engaged in nuclear talks. Iranian officials have warned that measures such as this could complicate diplomatic efforts and undermine mutual confidence.