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Travel ban reflects ‘racist mentality’ of US policymakers: Iran
Alireza Hashemi-Raja, the Foreign Ministry's director general for the affairs of Iranians abroad, called the measure, which takes effect June 9, "a clear sign of the dominance of a supremacist and racist mentality among American policymakers."
He said that, “The decision to ban the entry of Iranian nationals – merely due to their religion and nationality – not only indicates the deep hostility of American decision-makers towards the Iranian people and Muslims but also violates... international law.”
Trump's proclamation on Wednesday will bar citizens from 12 countries starting on Monday at 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT).
The countries are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The ban, which Trump claimed was necessary to protect against "foreign terrorists", was reminiscent of a similar move he implemented during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021, when he barred travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations.
The Foreign Ministry official said that the ban was discriminatory and would "entail international responsibility for the US government.”
Iran and the US severed diplomatic ties shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and their relations have remained deeply strained since.
The United States is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran.
According to figures from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, in 2020, there were some 1.5 million Iranians in the United States.
Trump's executive order came days after Sunday's attack at the Colorado rally, in which authorities said more than a dozen people were hurt. The suspect is an Egyptian man who had overstayed a tourist visa.