U.S. Carries Out Second Charter Deportation Flight to Iran

(MENAFN) The United States carried out its second charter deportation flight to Iran on Sunday, executing an uncommon bilateral operation between two nations that have maintained no formal diplomatic relations for over four decades, The New York Times reported.

Approximately 50 Iranian nationals departed from Mesa, Arizona, traveling alongside deportees of Arab and Russian origin, according to two Iranian officials who spoke to the publication. The aircraft made intermediate stops in Egypt and Kuwait en route to its final destination in Tehran.

Mojtaba Shasti Karimi, Iran's Foreign Ministry consular director, informed domestic media outlets that Iranian authorities anticipated receiving roughly 55 individuals. He characterized their decision to return as motivated "by the racist and anti-immigration policies" of the US government, while referencing accounts of "inhumane" conditions within American immigration detention facilities.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) refused to provide commentary on the operation. A separate US official characterized the deportation as standard procedure.

As news of the flight circulation intensified, Representative Yassamin Ansari—an Iranian-American Democrat representing Arizona—issued an urgent social media warning that the deportation could encompass "vulnerable individuals who could face persecution" upon repatriation to Iran.

Sunday's deportation represents the second such coordinated removal since September, forming part of the Trump administration's expanded enforcement strategy focused on mass deportations, as documented by The New York Times.

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