Iran says US travel ban shows 'deep hostility' for Iranians, Muslims
Iran on Saturday blasted US President Donald Trump's travel ban on countries including the Islamic Republic, saying it showed 'deep hostility' towards Iranians and Muslims.
'The decision to ban the entry of Iranian nationals — merely due to their religion and nationality — not only indicates the deep hostility of American decisionmakers towards the Iranian people and Muslims but also violates ... international law,' a senior foreign ministry official said in a ministry statement posted on the X social media platform.
Trump's proclamation on Wednesday will bar citizens from 12 countries starting on Monday at 12:01am .
The countries are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The ban, which Trump said was necessary to protect against 'foreign terrorists', was reminiscent of a similar move he implemented during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021, when he barred travellers from seven Muslim-majority nations.
Reuters

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

TimesLIVE
3 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
SA calls on US, Israel and Iran to let UN mediate peaceful resolution
The South African government has called on the US, Israel and Iran to give the UN the opportunity and space to lead in finding a peaceful resolution of the matters of dispute between them, including the inspection and verification of Iran's status of uranium enrichment and its broader nuclear capacity. President Cyril Ramaphosa and the government noted the US's involvement in the Israel-Iran war with 'a great deal of anxiety'. 'It was South Africa's sincerest hope that President Donald Trump would use his influence and that of the US government to prevail on the parties to pursue a dialogue path in resolving their issues of dispute,' the presidency said in a statement. US forces struck Iran's three main nuclear sites, Trump said late on Saturday, and he warned Tehran it would face more devastating attacks if it does not agree to peace. Reuters reported that UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Saturday branded the US strikes on Iran as a 'dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge — and a direct threat to international peace and security.'

IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
US attacks on Iran put Middle-East on the verge of another war
Expert says the US has been thrown into the conflict against Iran based on fake information about the latter's nuclear facilities. Image: Atta Kenare / AFP US President Donald Trump has been accused of driving the country into war against Iran based on information that has never been confirmed. This after Trump took a dramatic step to insert the US into the fraught conflict between Iran and Israel, a conflict that has left more than 856 people dead and at least 3,396 others wounded since Israel launched its attack on June 13. The decision to directly involve the US in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that aimed to systematically eradicate the country's air defences and offensive missile capabilities, while demanding a halt to its nuclear enrichment facilities. On Saturday evening, Trump announced that the US had attacked three sites tied to Iran's nuclear programme, warning Iran against retaliating. The strikes hit uranium enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading He expressed hope that his move would open the door to a more lasting peace, where Iran no longer had the potential to become a nuclear power. sraeli Prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hailed the strikes and congratulated Trump, saying his bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with 'the awesome and righteous might of the US will change history'. However, experts said Iran's nuclear programme does not exist. Civil nuclear engineer, Hugo Kruger, a South African who is based in Paris, said this is the propaganda that the US and Israel have pushed to attack Iran. He said it has not been confirmed that Iran has nuclear weapon capabilities, adding that Trump has driven the US into the war based on the information that has never been confirmed, even by the US intelligence agencies. He said this could be another narrative and a lie about another world war. 'Even the agencies did not confirm this, and Donald Trump at the moment, is driving the US into on the basis of information that has never been confirmed. He is spreading this incredible propaganda in the Western countries,' Kruger said. He said the US has the power to act against the nuclear programme and would have suspended it if it had existed. He said the US has legal and procedural frameworks for inspecting nuclear weapons, adding that this could also influence international laws. Kruger said this should be stopped, adding that South Africa and other countries must take a stance. 'This will stop the conflict because Israel will not be able to resist this pressure. They must do it through the United Nations,' he said. International relations expert, Dr Noluthando Phungula, said the conflict is bound to harm the entire world, including South Africa. "Oil prices quickly surged up 7% by Friday afternoon and the attacks prompted an instantaneous reaction on the global markets. This will have a dire impact on the dependent developing world due to oil price increases, she said, adding that this also suggests that 'we' may be facing another period of sharply higher energy prices. 'Consequently, almost everything, petrol, gas, and food, will cost more.' She said this reality was seen during the Russia-Ukraine conflict a few years ago, affecting people's lives around the globe. Phungula also warned that other countries in the region could be drawn in, should the attacks continue.


The Citizen
3 hours ago
- The Citizen
Did the US strikes succeed, and how will Iran respond?
The US said the strikes 'devastated' Iran's nuclear programme, but some are skeptical of this. This satellite picture taken on June 22, 2025, shows a close-up view of craters after US strikes on Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), northeast of the city of Qom. Picture: Satellite image 2025 Maxar Technologies / AFP The United States' strikes on Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites raised two major questions: how effective were they, and what will Iran do next? US President Donald Trump said the air raids 'totally obliterated' the main nuclear sites, calling them a 'spectacular military success'. So far, Tehran has given little away about its response, although Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States had 'crossed a very big red line'. ALSO READ: US joins Israel-Iran conflict with overnight bombing campaign AFP looks at the impact of the attacks and the possible next steps. What was the effect of the strikes? The United States targeted Iran's three main nuclear sites including Fordo, a uranium enrichment facility buried 90 metres underground. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes 'devastated the Iranian nuclear programme'. The extent of the damage has not been confirmed, but there is speculation nuclear material had already been moved away. Heloise Fayet, a nuclear expert at the Institut Francais des Relations Internationales, said satellite images showing activity around Fordo 'suggest enriched uranium stock may therefore have been transferred to sites not monitored by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)'. 'We previously had knowledge, albeit imperfect, of the programme thanks to the agency's inspections; now no inspections are possible,' she told AFP. 'As for Iran's technical expertise, it cannot be destroyed, knowing that thousands of people have participated in Iran's nuclear programme.' Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King's College London, called the US action a 'high-risk operation that delivers unpredictable outcomes', given the facility was deep underground. 'Trump has been using OSINT (open-source intelligence) accounts to say Fordo is gone while the Iranians claim there is only surface-level destruction.' ALSO READ: Iran threatens 'more devastating' response to Israel's attacks Ali Vaez, Iran project director for the International Crisis Group, said destroying Fordo 'won't necessarily end Iran's nuclear programme. 'Tehran has produced hundreds of advanced centrifuges in the past few years that are stored in unknown locations,' he said. What is Iran's next move? According to Krieg, Iran will seek a 'calibrated response – loud enough to resonate, but measured enough to contain'. Michael A. Horowitz, a geopolitics and security analyst, said its options included attacking US assets, closing the Strait of Hormuz – a vital conduit for the world oil trade – or even attacking energy facilities in the Gulf, which hosts several US military bases. 'None of those are good options that achieve anything – this is mostly about saving face,' he posted on X. 'The risks, on the other hand, are great.' However, Horowitz said there were other ways to respond, including a limited retaliation against the US before returning to strikes against Israel and finally negotiating a settlement. The Iranian government now realises its very existence is at stake, said Renad Mansour, senior research fellow at the Chatham House think-tank, casting it back to the days of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. 'It's survival mode,' he said, predicting 'more violence' in the short term with the prospect of a 'managed de-escalation' and eventual negotiations. ALSO READ: What Israel–Iran conflict means for South African economy Hamidreza Azizi, visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said Iran might allow Trump a 'symbolic win' and retaliate against Israeli targets instead. 'This keeps Washington out of the war while intensifying pressure on Tel Aviv. The risk of drawing the US further in would now rest on Trump's next move,' he posted on X. 'If Trump continues to strike Iran without new provocation, it looks more like going to war on Israel's behalf. That's politically costly, given domestic opposition to war with Iran.' Meanwhile, Iran could deny knowledge of what happened to its enriched uranium, avoiding IAEA inspections, and later leave the Nuclear Non-Profiferation Treaty. 'Trump may have scored a tactical win, but if Iran plays this smart, they hand him a political grenade,' Azizi wrote. 'All while shifting the nuclear game into murkier, more dangerous territory.'