Ban Americans From Travel to Iran on U.S. Passports

Civil liberties groups are expressing concerns about a bill that is moving through Congress, which aims to impose a ban on travel to Iran for American citizens holding U.S. passports. These groups view the bill as part of a broader effort to regulate the travel of American citizens and specifically prevent Iranian Americans from maintaining connections with their friends and family in Iran.

“If you’re an American citizen, the government should not be controlling where you can travel.”

“This bill is very concerning because it’s the beginning of a process of criminalizing something that is very normal for many people, which is traveling to Iran,” said Ryan Costello, policy director at the National Iranian American Council. “If you’re an American citizen, the government should not be controlling where you can travel.”

Alongside numerous other sanctions bills targeting Iran, the bill proposing the travel restrictions was passed by the U.S. House last week. The bill is now scheduled to be reviewed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Introduced last autumn, the No Paydays for Hostage-Takers Act gained momentum as tensions between Iran and Israel escalated into a series of reciprocal attacks earlier this month.

One of the provisions in the bill aims to prevent U.S. passport holders from traveling to Iran by invalidating their passports for such trips. While the State Department would need to enforce the prohibition, the legislative proposal effectively pushes for this action, and refraining from imposing the ban could have political repercussions, similar to other sanctions against Iran.

If Donald Trump secures a second term in the White House, there is a high likelihood that the travel ban would be implemented. During his first term, Trump implemented the infamous Muslim ban affecting travel to the U.S. for Iranians and other nationalities, and he has pledged to reinstate it if re-elected.

The idea of restricting travel to Iran on American passports was first suggested last September by former Trump State Department official Elliott Abrams, known for his right-wing stance and a controversial history involving covering up a Central American massacre and being connected to the Iran–Contra scandal.

In practice, many Iranian Americans often travel to Iran using Iranian passports. However, Americans of Iranian descent who do not possess Islamic Republic travel documents would be unable to visit Iran under the proposed ban. This measure is seen as a potential signal of increased isolation for the Iranian people and a disruption of people-to-people ties between Iran and the U.S.

Iran and North Korea?

The bill, initially introduced last October by Reps. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., and Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., was presented as a means to limit the Iranian government’s ability to detain U.S. citizens as leverage for negotiations. In the past, some dual-nationals have been detained in Iran during periods of heightened tensions between the two nations.

However, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of dual-nationals regularly travel to Iran from various Western countries. Imposing restrictions on their travel would be an unprecedented step, making it challenging or impossible for individuals with connections in both countries to visit their families or maintain personal and professional relationships.

Revoking U.S. passports for travel to Iran would equate it to North Korea, which implemented a similar ban in 2017 — during Trump’s first term — following the death of an American citizen after 17 months of detention there.

Despite facing significant sanctions due to foreign policy and human rights concerns, Iran still maintains relations with a large part of the international community, and a sizable Iranian population resides in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the Middle East.

“North Korea and Iran are very different countries.”

“North Korea is really the model for this policy, as it is the only country where there is such a strict prohibition for travel on the books,” Costello explained. “But North Korea and Iran are very different countries. The level of isolation of North Korea is far greater, and it doesn’t have the same diaspora that Iran does.”

Recently, a delegation from North Korea visited Iran, with the aim of potentially breaking North Korea’s diplomatic isolation amidst evolving geopolitics in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Costello mentioned that NIAC is hopeful that the Senate will reject the bill during its deliberation. However, the implications of its consideration, coupled with Trump’s intentions to revive his “Muslim ban” policy, do not bode well for the future of U.S.–Iran relations.

“You are talking about a policy that could affect hundreds of thousands of people,” he emphasized.