Iran has vehemently condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly signed travel ban, describing it as “racist” and reflective of a deeply entrenched animosity toward Iranians and Muslims. The ban, signed through an executive order earlier in the week, affects nationals from 19 countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, and multiple African and Middle Eastern nations. It is scheduled to come into effect on Monday and bears striking resemblance to the controversial travel restrictions Trump introduced during his presidency between 2017 and 2021.

In the executive order, Trump justified the policy as a necessary step to safeguard U.S. national security. However, Iranian officials have strongly disagreed with this rationale. Alireza Hashemi-Raja, who leads the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ department for Iranians abroad, stated that the decision reveals the prevalence of a "supremacist and racist mentality" among U.S. policymakers. He also asserted that the measure highlights the longstanding and deep-rooted hostility that American decision-makers hold toward both Iranian and Muslim communities.

According to the details of the ban, it restricts or entirely bars entry for citizens from the following countries: Iran, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additionally, a partial ban has been applied to travelers from seven other unspecified countries. Hashemi-Raja emphasized that such sweeping restrictions are in violation of international legal norms, as they unfairly target people based solely on their nationality or religious background. He warned that this action strips millions of individuals of their fundamental right to travel and could result in international legal consequences for the U.S. government, although he did not elaborate on what those consequences might be.

This development further exacerbates the already strained relationship between Iran and the United States. Diplomatic relations between the two countries have been officially severed since 1980, following Iran’s Islamic Revolution and the subsequent U.S. Embassy hostage crisis. Since then, interactions between the two nations have been marred by deep mistrust, economic sanctions, and geopolitical rivalries, particularly in the Middle East.

Despite these decades of political tension, the United States continues to host the largest population of Iranians living abroad. As of 2020, approximately 1.5 million people of Iranian descent reside in the U.S., according to data from Iran’s Foreign Ministry. This diaspora includes professionals, students, and families who contribute significantly to American society, and many are likely to be affected either directly or indirectly by the travel ban.

Iranian officials have called on the international community to take note of the discriminatory nature of the policy and to hold the U.S. accountable under international human rights standards. They argue that policies based on blanket judgments of nationality or religion not only violate legal principles but also deepen divisions and fuel global discrimination and xenophobia.

In summary, Iran's reaction to Trump’s renewed travel ban underscores the ongoing geopolitical and ideological clashes between the two nations, and highlights the broader global concern over rising nationalist and exclusionary policies in the name of national security.