Iran says another 55 Iranians have been deported from the United States

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A second flight carrying Iranians deported from the United States has left America, Iranian officials said, as Washington reportedly plans to return hundreds of prisoners to the Islamic Republic.

The deportations come amid continuing tensions between Iran and the United States after America bombed Iranian nuclear sites during Tehran’s 12-day war with Israel in June. Activists abroad have also expressed concern about the return of deportees to Iran, whose theocracy is suppressing intellectuals and executing prisoners at a rate not seen in decades.

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A report published by Mizan News Agency, the official spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, on Monday, quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry official Mojtaba Shasti Karimi as acknowledging the deportation of 55 Iranians.

“These individuals announced their willingness to return after the continued anti-immigration policy and discrimination against foreign nationals, especially Iranians, by the United States,” Karimi reportedly said.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said on Sunday that there are plans for 55 Iranians to return to the Islamic Republic.

Baghaei said that based on US allegations, “the Iranians were returned to their homeland for legal reasons and in violation of immigration rules.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined to respond to AP questions about the trip, saying it “does not confirm or deny specific operational security flights.”
“ICE removal trips happen every day,” the agency added.

The deportations represent a clash between President Donald Trump’s top priority — targeting illegal immigration — and the decades-long U.S. practice of welcoming Iranian dissidents, exiles and others since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In September, Iranian officials acknowledged that up to 400 Iranians could be returned under the Trump administration policy. That month, the first such flight arrived in Tehran.

In the period before and after the 1979 revolution, a large number of Iranians fled to the United States. In the decades since, the United States has been sensitive in allowing those fleeing Iran due to religious, sexual, or political persecution to request residency. Iran insists that only those facing criminal charges face trial, while others can travel freely. However, Tehran has detained Westerners and others with ties abroad in the past to exchange them in a prisoner swap.

Iran has criticized Washington for hosting dissidents and others in the past. US federal prosecutors have accused Iran of hiring hitmen to target dissidents in America as well.

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.