Phoenix 24
Enemies in public, partners through hidden channels.
Washington, United States
Newly released emails indicate that Iranian officials influenced some decisions involving the deportation of Iranian nationals from the United States. The correspondence, obtained by the National Iranian American Council, documents coordination between US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and representatives connected to Tehran. More than 100 Iranians were returned on three flights conducted in September and December 2025 and January 2026. The exchanges reveal an operational relationship that continued despite deep hostility between the two governments.
According to the emails, ICE personnel modified passenger manifests after receiving requests attributed to Iranian officials. One message stated that several cases had been added at the request of the Iranian Embassy, while another referred to instructions to amend a manifest and accelerate removals. Iran has no formal embassy in the United States, making the identity and diplomatic status of the intermediaries unclear. Some communications were reportedly transmitted through Qatari officials, while others mentioned meetings with an Iranian delegation or embassy director.
The correspondence does not establish that Tehran controlled the entire deportation process, but it suggests that certain requests were accommodated. Iranian representatives continued proposing changes shortly before at least one flight departed, although records show that some last-minute demands were rejected. The available documents also do not clarify the identities of every person added or removed from the manifests. That uncertainty is central because some deportees may have feared persecution after returning to Iran.
Human rights advocates have questioned whether Iranian asylum seekers could provide information safely while officials from the government they feared had access to detention facilities. A separate lawsuit alleges that confidential asylum information may have been disclosed to Iranian representatives. The Department of Homeland Security has denied sharing protected asylum data with Tehran. The newly released emails nevertheless show that Iranian officials were permitted to meet with some people held in US immigration custody.
The cooperation exposes a contradiction between Washington’s public condemnation of Iran’s repression and its willingness to consult Tehran during deportation operations. For decades, the United States presented itself as a destination for Iranian dissidents, religious minorities and political exiles fleeing the Islamic Republic. Immigration enforcement now appears to have created a quiet channel in which strategic hostility and administrative cooperation existed simultaneously. The unresolved question is whether operational convenience weakened safeguards intended to protect people from the government to which they were returned.
The narrative is power too. / La narrativa también es poder.