While leftist groups and America’s mainstream media sows discontent over President Trump’s entry ban on immigrants from seven Middle East nations, Iraq says it understands the motivation — and the goal — behind the move.
Saad al-Hadithi, a government spokesman, said Sunday that Iraqis understand the security needs the travel ban on primarily Muslim countries entails. But he also said he hopes the ban “will not affect the efforts of strengthening and developing the bilateral relations between Iraq and the United States.”
Al-Hadithi told The Associated Press the government hopes the “measures will be temporary and for regulatory reasons and not permanent at least for Iraq.”
The order signed Friday by Trump enacts a three-month ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen.
Meanwhile, leaders in Iran took a far more aggressive tone, condemning the move and claiming the ban will create more terrorists.
Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, addressing what he called a “#Muslimban,” said the ban would be a “great gift to extremists and their supporters,” adding that it showed the “baselessness of U.S. claims of friendship with the Iranian people.”
“The decision of the Government of the United States incorporates certain requests that are illegal, illogical and contrary to international law. Considering the absence of relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States, those requests are not applicable to and cannot be accommodated by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Any abuse by the United States of this situation to prolong the discriminatory measures and cause any further inconvenience for Iranian nationals is not only illegal but against common sense,” Zarif said in an official statement released by Iran “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will carefully examine and legally pursue any negligence or violation of the international obligations of the United States under bilateral agreements and multilateral arrangements and reserves the right to respond as deemed necessary.”
To that end, Iran has cautioned Iranians about travel to the U.S., saying “The plan for banning visa for immigrants and citizen of certain countries has stirred reaction of the US human rights activists who believe that immigration is a significant part of the culture dominating the country and regard such an approach in contradiction with the US values.”
