US Issues Renewed Warning to Its Citizens, Especially Dual Nationals, Regarding Travel to Iran

The US State Department has republished previous warnings to its citizens, particularly Iranian-American citizens, regarding travel to Iran, stating that individuals with Iranian and Western nationalities face the risk of arrest or being barred from leaving. The updated travel advisory on the US website emphasizes the 'risk of arrest and detention of US citizens, especially those with dual Iranian-American nationality.' The US State Department had issued a similar warning last February, stating that 'various forces in Iran continue to have an adversarial approach towards the US' and that Iran has continued to 'harass, detain, and arrest American citizens, particularly dual nationals, since the signing of the nuclear agreement.' Despite Iran and the US having exchanged groups of prisoners, the detention of American citizens in Iran has persisted. Siamak Namazi, a former director of strategic planning at Crescent Petroleum, and his father, Baqer Namazi, were both arrested last year; both hold dual Iranian-American citizenship. On August 25, Iran's judiciary reported the arrest of another Iranian-American, Reza (Robin) Shahini, in Gorgan. Since the 1979 revolution, diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington have been severed, with both Ayatollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei being staunch opponents of formal relations with the US. In its travel warning, the US states that the Swiss government, which represents US interests in Iran, has limited capabilities to provide consular services to American citizens, and this process is also more time-consuming than usual between the two countries. According to the US State Department, the Iranian government continues to 'pressure' ethnic and religious groups, and travel to areas predominantly inhabited by these groups, including Baloch areas along the Pakistan and Afghanistan borders or Kurdish areas along the Iraq border, remains unsafe. Iran has denied previous US accusations regarding human rights violations against ethnic and religious groups. The US has also expressed concerns about passenger flights to Iran, from Iran, and over Iran, in connection with ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Syria. This warning was republished a month after the UK also issued a new warning regarding travel for its citizens to Iran, especially dual nationals. Iranian security and judicial authorities have arrested a group of Iranian-British citizens; many of the detainees with dual nationality face security charges or are linked to civil, citizenship, women's rights, and similar activities. In addition to Iran, other countries that the US State Department has warned about travel to in the past two months include Mali, Iraq, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Lebanon, and North Korea.