Los Angeles — Newly released emails reveal that U.S. immigration authorities coordinated directly with Iranian officials to deport Iranian nationals between late 2025 and early 2026, highlighting an unexpected level of cooperation despite escalating political tensions between Washington and Tehran.

The correspondence, obtained by the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) and released publicly, provides the clearest account to date of how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Iranian officials worked together to organize three deportation flights in September and December 2025 and January 2026. More than 100 Iranian nationals were ultimately returned to Iran.

According to the emails, Iranian authorities played a role in determining which individuals would be included on the deportation manifests. ICE officials appear to have accommodated several last-minute requests from Iran to revise passenger lists.

In one email sent in late August 2025, an ICE official wrote, "Per request from the Iran Embassy I added a few cases." Days later, another official said the deportation manifest had been modified again following a meeting with a representative from the Iranian Embassy.

"Iran has requested that I amend the previous manifest and expedite the removal process," the official wrote.

Just days before the first charter flight departed in September, Iranian officials were still requesting additional names to be included. While some late requests were reportedly denied, the emails indicate that Iranian authorities remained actively involved until the day of departure.

The documents also show that deportation planning continued even as internal ICE communications acknowledged that many Iranians were fleeing their country during the 12-day conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States in June 2025. Despite the regional instability, agency officials continued treating the deportation program as a priority.

The revelations mark a notable shift from the longstanding U.S. practice of providing refuge to many Iranians who fled the country following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Human rights organizations have criticized the deportations, citing concerns over Iran's documented record of persecuting political dissidents, religious minorities and women.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Iranian officials acknowledged in September 2025 that an agreement with the Trump administration could result in as many as 400 Iranian nationals being returned. According to Iranian authorities, most had entered the United States illegally through Mexico, while others faced separate immigration violations.

The emails suggest communication between U.S. and Iranian officials occurred through multiple channels. Some messages were relayed via Qatari officials, who helped coordinate charter flights through Doha, while others referenced meetings with members of the Iranian delegation and embassy representatives.

It remains unclear whether all of the deported individuals agreed to return voluntarily. Previous reports have indicated that some asylum seekers were deported despite objecting to their removal.

The documents also reveal at least one apparent administrative error. An ICE official reported that an Iranian national who was not listed on the approved manifest nevertheless boarded one of the deportation flights.

"I have no idea how the case/person got through on the plane," another official responded.

Internal communications further suggest the deportation initiative received strong backing from senior officials within the Trump administration. During the June 2025 conflict with Iran, then-acting ICE Director Todd Lyons described the repatriation of Iranian nationals as a priority.

Although ICE personnel warned that deportations would be difficult because Iran had temporarily stopped issuing travel documents and closed its airspace during the conflict, senior officials instructed staff to quickly develop plans to remove dozens of Iranians already in immigration custody.

"We need a plan forward ASAP," one senior official wrote, while another referred to the operation as a "White House priority."

Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, argued the emails raise serious questions about the administration's public messaging toward Iran.

"It demonstrates that the top priority here was to remove as many people as possible by whatever means necessary," Abdi said.

Ryan Costello, NIAC's policy director, said the documents warrant greater scrutiny from senior government officials.

The emails also indicate that ICE arranged meetings between detained Iranian nationals and Iranian government representatives. Those meetings mirror allegations raised in a separate federal lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., in which Iranian asylum seekers claimed they were compelled to meet with Iranian officials while in U.S. detention.

According to sworn declarations filed in that case, some detainees alleged Iranian representatives possessed detailed information about their asylum applications, prompting accusations that confidential information may have been improperly shared.

Federal regulations prohibit U.S. authorities from disclosing information that could reveal an individual's asylum claim while coordinating deportations with foreign governments.

The Department of Homeland Security has firmly denied those allegations, stating that claims ICE shared asylum records with Iranian officials are false.