Los Angeles — U.S. immigration officials worked with Iran to deport Iranians in late 2025 and early 2026, newly released emails show, revealing a working relationship between the U.S. and Iranian governments despite tensions mounting between them. Hundreds of emails exchanged between U.S. immigration officials, which were obtained by the National Iranian American Council and made public Tuesday, offer the most transparent play-by-play yet of how the two countries worked together to arrange for more than 100 Iranians to be flown back to Iran on three separate immigration flights in September and December 2025 and January 2026. The emails show that Iranian officials had some influence over which Iranian immigrants in the U.S. were sent back to their home country, and U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials apparently heeded some last-minute changes to deportation lists that Iran requested. "Per request from the Iran Embassy I added a few cases," one unnamed ICE official wrote in late August, a month before the first deportation flight in September. Just over a week later, someone with the same job title moved to make another, unspecified change to the deportation list after they said they met with the "Director at the Iranian Embassy." "Iran has requested that I amend the previous manifest and expedite the removal process," the official wrote.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi predicted Thursday that the impact of what President Trump called new "economic warfare" against Tehran will be the opposite of what the president intends. In a post on his Truth Social platform Wednesday, Mr. Trump announced a "crushing economic operation" against Iran that he said will consist of "Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale." But Araghchi said in a social media post that "the so-called 'Economic D-Day' is a diversion from America's own crisis: unprecedented debt & surging interest costs.
Doubling down on failed policies will only bring further defeat — and enmity of Iranians. US economic terrorism threatens global economy and sovereignty worldwide." Araghchi shared a New York Times article beneath his statement, about the U.S. national debt crossing the unprecedented $40 trillion threshold. President Trump announced a "crushing economic operation" against Iran that he said would consist of "Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale." He called it "an economic D-Day." "No one has given the Islamic Republic of Iran a greater opportunity to make a Deal than me.
TRAGICALLY, for them, they have failed to take it," the president wrote on Truth Social. He also said any country that provides "any type of lifeline to Iran" would face repercussions. "ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences.
Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies — It all needs to stop NOW. You know who you are," Mr. The president said Iran is "on the ropes, and these HISTORIC MEASURES will cripple them and their ability to project terror worldwide," reiterating that "IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON." Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, President Trump said new sanctions against Iran are possible but the U.S.
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