Iran vows countermeasure against US visa ban

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, said that Iran will counter the US visa ban against Iranians, theTehran Times daily reported on Wednesday. (Photo by Dragan Tatic, Das österreichische Außenministerium – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2014-02-18_Irankonferenz_%2812610684424%29.jpg, CC BY 2.0,)

TEHRAN—Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, said that Iran will counter the US visa ban against Iranians, theTehran Times daily reported on Wednesday.

“Our earlier countermeasure against Trump’s order (to stop visa issuance for Iranians) is still in place,” Takht-Ravanchi said. “There is no need for a new decision.”

On Jan. 27, Trump issued an executive order for a 90-day ban on the entry visa issuance for seven Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa, namely, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Libya and Yemen. However, it was halted later by a federal court.

On Jan. 31, Iran said that it had stopped granting visas to US citizens in response to Washington’s travel ban.

On Monday, the White House revised the earlier executive order and signed a new order that excludes Iraqi citizens, but keeps the visa applicants from six other countries, still targeting Iranians. The order is to be put into effect on March 16.