Iran unilaterally cancels visas for 33 countries

The Islamic Republic unilaterally canceled visa issuance for 33 countries.

The Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts announced on Wednesday, December 12, the unilateral visa cancellation for 33 countries, which has been approved by the Iranian Cabinet.

According to the aforementioned resolution, citizens of India, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Vietnam in Asia will not need to obtain a visa to travel to Iran.

In addition to the above countries, citizens of Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Belarus in Europe, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela in Latin America are also exempt from obtaining a visa to travel to Iran. Citizens of Tunisia, Mauritania, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and the Republic of Seychelles in Africa also do not need a visa to travel to Iran.

Ezzatollah Zarghami called the approval of the aforementioned resolution a "courageous and thoughtful decision" and emphasized that the Iranian government intends to open the country's doors to the world, and this unilateral visa cancellation is, in fact, speaking to the people of the world.

It should be noted that the approval of visa waivers for the above-mentioned countries came at a time when many citizens of European and American countries were arrested by Iranian security and intelligence agencies after traveling to Iran and accused of espionage, and are still in prison. Many Iranian officials openly mention taking citizens of other countries hostage as a method with the aim of obtaining political concessions from other countries or in various negotiations.

It seems that Iran's cancellation of visas for the aforementioned countries has prompted the Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts to boost the tourism industry in Iran, which has been stagnant for a long time.