The Trump administration privately discussed removing Iranian nationals with Tehran during the war
Court documents show Donald Trump's administration held secret talks with Iran about deporting Iranian nationals during the war, The Associated Press reported. The documents say contacts involved submitting travel documents and exploring “possible avenues for removal.” The disclosure emerged from a lawsuit alleging immigration agencies shared confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with Iran's government.
More context
Court documents reviewed by The Associated Press indicate the Trump administration privately discussed removing Iranian nationals with Tehran while the war was underway. The contacts concerned submitting travel documents and exploring “possible avenues for removal,” the documents say. The Times of India reported that hundreds of emails exchanged between U.S. immigration officials reportedly detail coordination to return more than 100 Iranians on three immigration flights in September and December 2025 and January 2026. The disclosure emerged from a lawsuit alleging U.S. immigration agencies shared confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with Iran’s government. Court documents unsealed Thursday showed that, as recently as mid-October, the U.S. government said it planned to deport Iranians through an unnamed third country, News.Az reported, citing Al Jazeera.
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Reporting
- PBS News (with Associated Press) — Trump administration held talks with Iran on deporting Iranians during the war, court documents show | PBS News
- The Guardian — US holds secret talks with Tehran to deport Iranians even as war drags on, court documents show
- AOL — Trump admin. held talks with Iran on deporting Iranians during the war, court docs show
- News.Az — US held secret talks with Iran over deportations during war | News.az
- The Times of India — US held secret talks with Iran to deport its nationals even as war raged, court filings show - The Times of India
- dailyadvance.com — AP Exclusive: Trump administration held talks with Iran on deporting Iranians during the war
- breakingthenews.net — US said to secretly hold talks with Iran on deportations
Verifier’s note
PBS NewsHour and News.az directly report that the administration held talks with Iran about deportations, consistent with the proposed event. AOL, Daily Advance, Breaking the News, The Guardian, and The Times of India also report the claim, while ABC News describes deportation planning but does not report talks with Iran.