Iran vows countermeasure against US visa ban

Tehran March 8 (IANS) Iran on Wednesday said the country will counter the US visa ban against Iranians a media report said.

Our earlier countermeasure against Trump s order (to stop visa issuance for Iranians) is still in place Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi said adding that there is no need for a new decision Xinhua news agency reported.

On January 27 Trump issued an executive order for a 90-day ban on the entry visa issuance for seven Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and north Africa -- Somalia Iran Iraq Sudan Syria Libya and Yemen. However it was halted later by a federal court.

On January 31 Iran said that it had stopped granting visas to US citizens in response to Washington s travel ban.

On Monday the White House revised the earlier executive order and signed a new order that excludes Iraqi citizens but keeps the visa applicants from six other countries still targeting Iranians. The order is to be put into effect on March 16.

--IANS
sm/vt