Iran says second U.S. deportation flight carries 55
Iran says a second U.S. deportation flight carrying 55 Iranians has left the United States, with Tehran's foreign ministry saying the deportees "announced their willingness for return" and that U.S. authorities cited legal breaches of immigration regulations. A U.S. official told the NYT the routine deportation also carried non‑Iranian nationals who would disembark in Cairo while the Iranians were routed via Kuwait to transfer to a chartered Kuwait Airways flight to Tehran; ICE declined to confirm specific flights, saying removal flights occur every day.
📌 Key Facts
- Iran says a second U.S. deportation flight carried 55 Iranian nationals.
- U.S. reporting (NYT, cited by Fox) described the aircraft as a routine deportation flight that also carried non-Iranian nationals; operational routing reported that Arab and Russian passengers would disembark in Cairo while the Iranian deportees would go to Kuwait and transfer to a chartered Kuwait Airways flight to Tehran.
- Iranian government outlets (Mizan) and Reuters published acknowledgments from Iran's Foreign Ministry about the removals.
- U.S. authorities did not publicly confirm specifics: ICE said it does not confirm or deny specific flights and that "ICE removal flights are occurring every day," and DHS was asked for comment.
- Iranian officials, cited by AP, said the 55 deportees "announced their willingness for return," and Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the U.S. cited "legal reasons and breach of immigration regulations" for the removals.
- For context, Iranian officials in September said as many as 400 Iranians could be returned and that the first deportation flight arrived in Tehran that month.
📊 Relevant Data
The United States has historically protected Iranian dissidents fleeing political, religious, and sexual persecution from deportation since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a policy that is being reversed with the recent deportations under the Trump administration.
A second flight of Iranian deportees, carrying 55, has left the U.S., Iran says — Los Angeles Times
Christian converts are among the Iranians being deported from the US in 2025, facing risks of imprisonment and persecution upon return to Iran.
Christian converts are among the Iranians being sent home from US — BBC News
90% of the deported Iranians in 2025 had no criminal records, with many having lived in the US for decades.
U.S. Deportations of Iranians Surge 10-Fold Amid Security Crackdown — Kurdistan24
The deportations of Iranians in 2025 follow a deal between the US and Iran, where Iran agreed to accept about 400 of its nationals whom the US sought to deport.
U.S. Deports Planeload of Iranians After Deal With Tehran, Officials Say — The New York Times
📰 Sources (3)
- AP cites Iranian Foreign Ministry official Mojtaba Shasti Karimi saying the 55 deportees 'announced their willingness for return' amid U.S. anti-immigration policies.
- Iranian FM spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the U.S. cited 'legal reasons and breach of immigration regulations' for the removals.
- ICE provided an on-record response: it does not confirm or deny specific flights and said 'ICE removal flights are occurring every day.'
- Additional context that Iranian officials in September acknowledged as many as 400 Iranians could be returned and that the first flight arrived in Tehran that month.
- NYT, citing a U.S. official, reported the aircraft departed Sunday as a routine deportation flight that also carried non-Iranian nationals.
- Operational routing detail: Arab and Russian nationals would disembark in Cairo; the Iranian deportees would proceed to Kuwait and transfer to a chartered Kuwait Airways flight to Tehran.
- Fox confirms Iranian MFA acknowledgments via Mizan and Reuters and notes DHS was asked for comment.