Donald Trump: The Obama Administration Granted U.S. Citizenship to 2,500 Iranians

The President of the United States claims that the Barack Obama administration granted U.S. citizenship to 2,500 Iranians, including some officials of the Islamic Republic, during nuclear negotiations. Donald Trump's tweet on Tuesday, July 2, seems to refer to comments made by Mojtaba Zolnour, a member of the Stability Front and head of the Nuclear Committee of the National Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament. In an interview with the Tehran-based newspaper 'Etemad' on July 5, Zolnour harshly criticized the presence of some children of Islamic Republic officials in the U.S. and their dual citizenship. He stated, 'When Mr. Obama decided to please some gentlemen during the JCPOA discussions, he granted citizenship to 2,500 Iranians, and some officials competed to ensure their children were among these 2,500.' Zolnour added, 'If these individuals are expelled from the U.S. today, it will become clear who has colluded and sold national interests for American candy.' Trump's tweet on July 2 echoed these sentiments, criticizing former President Obama. He wrote, 'It has just been revealed that the Obama administration granted citizenship to 2,500 Iranians, including government officials, during their disastrous negotiations with Iran. How excessive and (bad) this is.' In July 2015, Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., reached an agreement on resolving Tehran's nuclear program and lifting sanctions. However, Trump withdrew the U.S. from this agreement on May 8, stating that he would reinstate suspended sanctions on Iran. Over the past two years, he has consistently criticized the nuclear deal with Iran, emphasizing that any agreement should also address its missile programs and regional role. Jeff Prescott, a former National Security Council official in the Obama administration, responded to Trump's tweet, calling the accusation 'ridiculous and false.' He stated that 'no one should doubt that Donald Trump is repeating Fox News talking points, which reflect claims from an Iranian hardliner.' John Kirby, a former State Department spokesperson from 2015 to 2017, tweeted, 'I don't know which is worse... that the President is deliberately promoting a narrative from an Iranian hardliner or that he doesn't want to check this with his own people. My God, he just needs to make a phone call.' Several Iranian parliament members have conducted investigations in recent months to prove that dual citizens have infiltrated important government institutions. Their report, published in May, states that 'many' children of Islamic Republic officials 'have obtained citizenship of other countries for various reasons such as education and birth, and... are currently engaged in economic activities or employment in those countries without renouncing their citizenship.' This includes 'the children of the foreign minister, oil minister, and some advisors and assistants to the president.' Mojtaba Zolnour also mentioned in his interview that the son of the Iranian president 'holds three citizenships; he has Canadian, British, and Iranian citizenship.' He finally noted that among the children of some Iranian officials in the U.S., only '30 to 40 of them are studying,' while the rest are enjoying life with the people's money. Before Trump's tweet, Fox News had reported these statements in English, noting that although this representative did not name specific individuals, he mentioned that several children of current and former Islamic Republic officials live in the U.S.