120 Iranians deported after US reaches deal with Tehran, officials say

The Trump administration is deporting 120 Iranians, some of whom entered the country illegally, after the U.S. and Tehran reached a deal, according to reports.

Iranian officials told The New York Times that the planeload of migrants took off from Louisiana on Monday night and was expected to arrive in Iran via Qatar at some point on Tuesday. A U.S. official also reportedly confirmed the plan to the outlet.

This is evidently the first step in a larger plan to deport approximately 400 Iranian nationals, according to Reuters.

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The deal is a rare instance of cooperation between Tehran and Washington, which saw heightened tensions in the wake of this summer’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iranian officials told the Times that the deportation deal came about after months of discussions between the two nations.

While Washington and Tehran hardly work together, the arrangement aligns with President Donald Trump’s broader crackdown on illegal immigration. Earlier this year, the administration deported migrants from several countries, including Iran, to Panama under a separate agreement, according to reports.

“In the first step, they decided to deport 120 Iranians who entered the U.S. illegally, most of whom through Mexico,” the Iranian foreign ministry’s director general for parliament affairs, Hossein Noushabadi, told Tasnim news agency, according to Reuters, which described the Iranian outlet as semi-official.

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The identities of the Iranian deportees are unknown, but the Times reported that the group included men and women, some of whom were couples. The outlet also noted, citing Iranian officials, that some of the deportees volunteered to leave the U.S. after spending time in detention centers, while others were not going voluntarily.

Iranian officials also told the Times that in almost every case, the deportees either had asylum requests denied or had yet to appear before a judge for a hearing on their requests.

“We have urged the American government to respect the rights of Iranian migrants and their citizenship rights under international law. They must not be denied consular services, fair judicial process, or the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” Noushabadi told Tasnim news agency.

Another official told the news agency that the individuals being deported had left Iran legally, but how they entered the U.S. was “another matter.” However, the official insisted that their return “faces no obstacle, as Iran will always support its citizens.”

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The deportees face uncertainty in their return to Tehran, where the regime is known for its brutal human rights abuses, particularly towards women. Iran is also facing an economic crisis, the Times noted, with high inflation, unemployment and plummeting currency value.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment.