Brian Hook's explanation about not lifting travel restrictions to the US for Iranians
Brian Hook, head of the US State Department's Task Force on Foreign Policy, blamed the Iranian government for not lifting travel restrictions on Iranians to the US, saying that Tehran does not share the history of its citizens with the US for review.
Mr. Hook responded to an Iranian citizen's question in a video posted on the US State Department's Twitter account.
According to Mr. Hook, the Islamic Republic “makes it difficult to check the records of its citizens.”
#BrianHook's answers to your questions: https://t.co/Ag8N2RJELR
Why isn't the #US lifting travel restrictions on #Iranian citizens? pic.twitter.com/x9fFhZxAE9— USA darFarsi (@USAdarFarsi) January 10, 2019
Checking the background and history of individuals is mandatory for issuing travel visas and residency in the United States, as in other countries.
In the video, the director of the US State Department's Action Group also expresses hope that Tehran will take "the necessary steps to share the records of its citizens" in order to ease restrictions on Iranians traveling to the United States.
In February 2016, Donald Trump signed an executive order that suspended the entry of nationals of Iran and six other countries into the United States for at least 90 days.
As part of this order, Mr. Trump also asked the US Department of Homeland Security to identify within 30 days which countries are not providing sufficient information about their citizens applying for visas.
Source: Radio Farda
