Iranians to be deported to Iran

The U.S. will send as many as 400 people back to that country in the coming weeks.

- AMIR VAHDAT

IRANIANS ride a motorcycle in front of a large billboard depicting fallen leaders in Tehran on Sunday.

ATTA KENARE AFP/Getty Images

The United States will deport hundreds of Iranians back to Iran in the coming weeks, with the first 120 deportees being prepared for a flight in the next day or two, Iran said Tuesday.

The deportation of Iranians, not yet publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government, comes as tensions remain high between the two countries following the American bombings of Iranian nuclear sites in June.

Meanwhile, the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran this past week over its nuclear program, putting new pressure on the Islamic Republic's ailing economy.

The deportations also represent a collision of a top priority of President Trump — targeting illegal immigration — against a decades-long practice by the U.S. of welcoming Iranian dissidents, exiles and others since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.