The Trump administration on Wednesday is freezing immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including Russia and Iran as the president threatens military strikes against the ayatollah.
The State Department released an internal memo directing consular officers to deny visas while the department reexamines procedures for screening and vetting applicants.
Some of the countries included in the visa freeze are Russia, Afghanistan, Somali, Thailand, Yemen, and Iran.
The State Department is expected to implement the indefinite freeze on January 21.
The memo also directs consular officer to deny visas applicants who will need to reply on public benefits upon entry to the US.
Officers are also instructed to weigh a variety of factors for applicants, including health, age, and English proficiency.
The pause comes after Trump is deliberating options to strike Iran following nationwide protests against the Islamic regime.
The President last night warned that if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei goes forward with hangings on Wednesday, he will take ‘strong action.’ Trump is said to have been briefed in recent days about his options, including strikes on nonmilitary sites in Tehran.
The Iranian regime have brutally cracked down on the Iranian regime
The State Department freeze of Russian visas comes as Putin engages in high-stakes talks with the Trump administration over ending the war in Ukraine
Trump has threaten military action against Iran for killing protesters
On June 13 last year, hours after Israel launched its attack on Iranian nuclear and missile sites, the Wing of Zion took off from Ben Gurion Airport.
Desperate families of relatives who have been persecuted by the Iranian regime amid the uprising have called on Trump to intervene.
Already, a bloody security force crackdown on the protests has killed at least 2,571, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported.
Trump last night warned Iran: ‘If they hang them, you’re going to see something’.
But Iran ignored the US President’s threats and vowed to fast-track executions after detaining 18,000 protesters as the regime continues its brutal crackdown on anti-government riots.
The head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, signalled Wednesday that there would be fast trials and executions ahead for those detained, saying: ‘If a person burned someone, beheaded someone and set them on fire then we must do our work quickly.’
