Tehran has condemned US President Donald Trump’s travel ban targeting Iranian citizens and people from several other majority Muslim countries, saying the move reveals Washington’s “deep hostility” toward Iranians.
In a statement on Saturday, Alireza Hashemi Raja, the director general for Iranian expatriates at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, described the move as clear evidence of the dominance of a “supremacist and racist” mindset among American policy-makers.
“The US administration’s decision to restrict Iranian nationals solely based on their religion and nationality not only shows deep hostility from the US decision-makers toward the Iranian people and Muslims but also violates fundamental principles of international law, including the prohibition of discrimination and [adherence to] basic human rights,” he said.
Hashemi Raja reiterated that denying hundreds of millions of people the right to travel based only on their nationality or religion is an act of racial discrimination and systemic racism by the ruling establishment in the US.
He also called on the United Nations and human rights organizations to openly oppose the US’s unilateral and rights-violating policies, saying that the Islamic Republic of Iran will take all necessary measures to protect the rights of its citizens from the effects of this discriminatory decision.
Trump on Wednesday issued a sweeping order implementing a complete travel ban for nationals from 12 countries, while imposing restrictions on travelers from seven additional countries.
The banned countries include Afghanistan, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The entry of people from seven other countries, namely Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, will be partially restricted.
The US head of state also said the list could be revised and new countries could be added.
