US Deports 100 Iranians on Chartered Flight via Qatar

The United States has deported 100 Iranian nationals on a chartered flight routed through Qatar, in what has become one of the most controversial immigration moves of President Donald Trump’s administration, the New York Times reported.

According to two Iranian officials familiar with the negotiations and a US official involved in the plan, the flight departed Louisiana late on Monday and was expected to arrive in Iran via Doha on Tuesday. 

The operation marks one of the largest coordinated deportations of Iranians in recent years.

The deportations highlight the administration’s determination to press ahead with returning migrants regardless of the human rights concerns they may face in their home countries.

Earlier in the year, Washington deported groups of Iranians, including some who had converted to Christianity and feared religious persecution, to Costa Rica and Panama. These removals prompted a wave of legal challenges from migrant rights advocates, who argued the policies breached basic humanitarian protections.

The identities of those on board have not been fully disclosed, nor the precise reasons they attempted to settle in the United States.

However, in recent years, the southern US border has seen a growing number of Iranian nationals entering irregularly, many of whom sought asylum on grounds of political or religious persecution.

The US has long faced logistical and diplomatic challenges in deporting individuals to Iran, given the absence of formal relations and the difficulty of securing travel documents quickly.

Typically, this has left migrants either detained for extended periods or released within the country. Official data show that in 2024, the US removed just over 20 Iranians on commercial flights.

Iranian officials confirmed that the deported group included both men and women, among them married couples. Some had agreed voluntarily to leave after months in detention, while others were removed involuntarily. Most asylum requests were either denied or had not yet reached a court hearing.

The large-scale deportation also represents a rare moment of coordination between Washington and Tehran.

Iranian officials stated that the Foreign Ministry is overseeing the reception of the deportees and has received assurances that they will return safely. Nonetheless, many of those aboard expressed frustration and fear about their uncertain future.