The new travel warning was posted last Tuesday on the State Department website. It replaced one issued nine months earlier.
The new warning says, “Dual national Iranian-American citizens may encounter difficulty in departing Iran.… Americans of Iranian origin should consider the risk of being targeted by authorities before planning travel to Iran.”
The wording discouraged Iranian-Americans from visiting Iran, but it never said outright that Iranian-Americans should not travel to Iran.
The warning said, “The Iranian government does not recognize dual citizenship and will not allow the Swiss [embassy, which handles consular matters for the United States in Iran] to provide protective services for U.S. citizens who are also Iranian nationals. U.S. citizens of Iranian origin who are considered by Iran to be Iranian citizens have been detained and harassed by Iranian authorities.”
The warning added: “Former Muslims who have converted to other religions, as well as persons who encourage Muslims to convert, are subject to arrest and prosecution.”
It suggests that American citizens who are planning to travel or to live in Iran first register with the State Department’s travel registration website so the U.S. government at least knows who is in Iran.