U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) coordinated with the Iranian government to facilitate the deportation of more than 100 Iranian nationals from the United States in 2025. The cooperation, detailed in recently released emails, occurred despite the ongoing absence of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries. The documents indicate that Iranian officials maintained significant influence over the selection of individuals returned to their home country.
The United States and Iran have not held formal diplomatic ties since 1980, following the Iranian Revolution and the subsequent hostage crisis. Because of this, deporting Iranian citizens typically requires complex coordination through third parties or quiet channels between immigration officials and the Iranian Interests Section in Washington, which operates under the auspices of the Pakistani Embassy.
According to the emails, the process involved direct communication between ICE personnel and Iranian officials to verify identities and secure travel documents. The correspondence shows that Iranian authorities were able to dictate specific terms for the flights and exercised discretion regarding which individuals they would accept for repatriation. The total number of deportees exceeded 100 people across multiple flights scheduled throughout the year.
A person subject to these proceedings would notice a shift in the predictability of their deportation status. Because Iranian officials hold influence over the passenger lists, an individual's removal is not solely dependent on U.S. court timelines but also on foreign approval of their travel documents. This could result in sudden changes to detention periods or the timing of flights, affecting the ability of families to settle affairs or pursue final legal stays before departure.
The existence of this channel establishes a procedural precedent for how the U.S. handles deportations to "recalcitrant" nations or countries with no formal ties. It suggests that immigration enforcement can function independently of broader geopolitical tensions. The source does not report specific dates for future flights or current deadlines for those remaining in custody, so it is not yet known when the next round of repatriations will occur or if the scale of the program will expand in 2026. Admission of these individuals back into Iran is a necessary step for the U.S. to clear its backlog of deportation cases for that specific nationality.