Iran has strongly condemned the United States’ newly reinstated travel ban targeting Iranian nationals and citizens of 11 other predominantly Middle Eastern and African countries, calling the policy a sign of “supremacist and racist” ideology in Washington.
The travel ban, signed into effect by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, is set to take effect on June 9. The executive order revives sweeping restrictions reminiscent of the administration’s first-term travel ban, once again citing national security as justification. The latest measure follows a recent firebomb attack at a pro-Israel rally in Colorado, which injured more than a dozen people. The suspect, an Egyptian man, was reportedly in the U.S. on an expired tourist visa.
Alireza Hashemi-Raja, the country’s foreign ministry director general for the affairs of its citizens abroad, denounced the decision in a statement on Saturday, calling it “a clear sign of the dominance of a supremacist and racist mentality among American policymakers.”
“The decision indicates the deep hostility of American decision-makers towards the citizens of the country and the Muslim people,” Hashemi-Raja added.
The ban applies to nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. In addition, a partial ban will affect travellers from seven other countries, though those nations were not publicly named in the executive order.
Policy violates international law and infringes – Iran
Hashemi-Raja said the policy violates international law and infringes on the rights of “hundreds of millions of people to travel based solely on their nationality or religion.” He warned that the discriminatory nature of the ban could carry “international responsibility” for the United States, though he did not provide specific details on potential legal consequences.
The move further strains the already tense relationship between Tehran and Washington, which have had no formal diplomatic ties since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Despite the political rift, the United States remains home to the largest Iranian diaspora in the world. As of 2020, the foreign ministry estimated there were approximately 1.5 million citizens living in the U.S.
While U.S. officials defend the travel ban as a necessary national security measure, critics argue that the broad restrictions unfairly target Muslim-majority countries and undermine human rights.
The government has not indicated any retaliatory measures but emphasised the emotional and logistical toll the policy will have on families and communities with cross-border ties.
As the implementation date nears, advocacy groups and legal experts are preparing to challenge the ban in U.S. courts, echoing the legal battles that followed the original travel restrictions during Trump’s first term.
