Iranian President: Visa Ban Typical of Novice Politicians
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described separating nations with walls and banning people from entering a country as measures expected from novice politicians, seemingly in reference to recent moves by new US President Donald Trump.
Addressing a ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday to mark the National Day of Space Technology, President Rouhani said the era of separating nations is over.
It would be a mistake for a president to think that if he orders holders of his country’s visa from several countries banned from entering the country, he can separate human beings, Rouhani said.
Nevertheless, he added, nothing more is expected from those who are beginners in the field of politics.
The Iranian president went on to say that it will take a long time for novice politicians to recognize such issues and until they do, major damages are inflicted upon his own country and other nations.
The new order Donald Trump signed on Friday bars all persons from seven countries from entering the US for 90 days and suspends the US Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days. The countries impacted are Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.
Trump’s order will also cancel the Visa Interview Waiver Program, which once allowed repeat travelers to the United States to be able to forgo an in-person interview to renew their visa. Under the new order, these travelers will now have to have in-person interviews.
Earlier, Trump signed a directive to begin the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico. The wall will be stretched across the roughly 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) US-Mexico border.
In similar comments on Saturday, President Rouhani said today’s world would not tolerate separating peoples.
There is no room for separation of nations in the present era, the Iranian president explained, saying people of the world have turned into neighbors due to cultural, scientific and civilizational globalization.