Donald Trump has been outspoken about his views on Iran. Throughout his election campaign he criticised the nuclear deal made between Iran and the world’s six major powers, including the US. He also said that his predecessor Barack Obama was “too soft” on the country.

As expected, tensions between the two countries have grown since Trump has taken office and the US president has attempted to bar Iranians from entering the US, part of a wider travel ban on people from seven predominantly Muslim countries. This will affect notable Iranians like Asghar Farhadi, the award-winning director nominated for an Oscar.

Trump faces resistance to the ban: on Thursday three judges on the ninth circuit court of appeals upheld a temporary restraining order on it. It’s likely he will challenge this in the supreme court.



He also talked about putting Iran “on notice” after it tested a ballistic missile, action met with anger in Tehran.



Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, has now urged Iranians to join a rally on Friday – the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution – to show “their position toward threats.”

We asked Iranians how they felt about the Trump administration, the travel ban and the politics around this, as well as what it could mean for the future.

Amir, 26 from Mashhad: I planned to study in the US, but now my future is uncertain. It’s unfair and unjust



My future is now very uncertain. I spent thousands of dollars applying to universities in the US to do a PhD there. I have been accepted at one of these universities so far, but now I am not sure whether I will be able to get a visa to go there. To make matters worse, in Iran if you don’t go back into education a year after graduating you’re expected to do military service. I worry that if I don’t sort out my next steps in time this will be the only option for me.

I have spent years focusing on getting into an American university. This has included doing several exams, such as the Test of English in a Foreign Language. Now, because I am so worried, I’ve applied for a place at a university in Australia and one in Europe, but I set my heart on the US because it’s much better for what I want to do. Also, I am not hopeful about getting into these other universities because I have spent all my time and effort on my US applications and had much less time to complete these other ones.



I am stressed about my future. I worry that all the effort I’ve put in will go to waste. Amir

President Trump’s executive order has put my future and the future of those in a similar situation to me up in the air. Prior to this getting a visa to go to America took about four to five months. Some universities might worry about whether we will be able to come at all and not offer us places. There are more students like me. My wife has also applied for seven universities in the US, again at a large financial cost.

I stress about my future. I worry that all the effort I’ve put in will go to waste. It is unfair and unjust. Students are not terrorists. Look at the current and previous students from these countries, particularly from Iran, who have contributed so much to making America great. Please let universities themselves decide on their students. Over 30,000 U.S. university faculty members opposed this executive order. I would like to express my gratitude to them and to all those people around the world who stand with us, particularly Americans. Please don’t abandon us.

Iranians march in an annual rally commemorating the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Photograph: Vahid Salemi/AP

Allie, 18, from Kerman: There’s some feelings of shock but others don’t care. They think it’s just foreign policy

There was shock from people like myself who follow the news [at Trump’s executive order] but others don’t care. They think it’s just foreign policy. Some might be worried about new sanctions but we haven’t had a day of not living under sanctions since the revolution and we’ve gotten used to them. I don’t think there’s much to worry about because Trump got elected by a small majority and if he keeps this up, he won’t get be re-elected. The funny thing is that since his travel ban, Muslims and people from the seven countries he has barred have got more support from Americans than ever before.

Anonymous, 27: Some fear a war and other’s don’t take Trump seriously



My biggest fear is sanctions and what they may mean for us. Anonymous

There are two types of people around me. Those who think there will be a war and it scares them. Then there’s those who don’t take Trump seriously. Some of them say he is not a real politician. They say Russia manipulates him and he will harm America more than anywhere else in the world. I don’t plan on protesting in any way against Trump. I will instead try to remind people around the world that governments don’t define who we are. We can still love each other, no matter what our politicians say. Despite this, my biggest fear is sanctions and what they may mean for us. They can affect our lives a great deal. They can lead to higher rates of unemployment. It doesn’t affect our government but it does affect the people who live here.

‘Those who think there will be a war and it scares them. Then there’s those who don’t take Trump seriously.’ Photograph: REX/Shutterstock

Arezo, 27: I worry about my future and that of other students like me

There are different responses to Trump ban. However, I want to talk about students as I believe they are the most vulnerable group. Every year many Iranians apply and study in the US. Despite the fact professors in America are willing to accept these students, the ban could prevent them from being able to do so. It is very stressful for young people who have worked hard to get into good universities. It is unbelievable all that people have worked hard for could be destroyed by this political decision.

I have spoken out about the travel ban ordered by the president. We tried to raise awareness through hashtags like #StopIranBan and #studentban. It was the only way we could get our voices heard. I worry about my future and that of other students like me. It is disastrous for us to see our future and dreams ruined when we’ve done nothing wrong. The situation for refugees is even worse. We all need to be heard and supported.

Iranian Engineer Nazanin Zinouri was taken off her flight while returning ti the US as a result of the recent travel and immigration ban. Photograph: Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Ali, 27, from Tehran: The people of Iran have no platform or independent media to voice our opinion

Being among the seven banned Muslim countries for “terrorist activities” has made most people dislike Donald Trump. Moreover, it is obvious that he is in cahoots with the Saudi regime. This makes me worry about the future of the middle east and peace in the world.

The biggest fear is war, of course. It is stressing us out wondering about what might come. It’s painful that the US people either agree with Michael Ledeen and Trump’s warmongering attitude or are powerless to stop them. But the real sad truth is that the global media doesn’t give us the chance to be heard. I won’t be protesting. I would but it’s unlikely to change anything because we the people of Iran have no platform or independent media to voice our opinion.

Anonymous, 19 from Yazd: Trump is the same as other US presidents. There’s no real change

Where I live not a lot of people care. Here in Iran we have our own domestic problems to worry about. Although people worry about foreign affairs, they care about what’s happening in Iran first. Iranians have heard the same empty threats from America for the last past 30 years. As of now life in Iran before and after sanctions has changed very little. The western media keeps portraying Iran as opening up, as if we closed the doors before. But in my view Iranian society has been the same for years, it’s just there is now more access to our world.

Iranians see Trump as just another American leader full of empty threats, the people are sick and tired of the same game being played out over and over with the same outcome. Trump’s travel ban has affected a minority of Iranians, but it has also pushed people to stay and serve their country. It is as though Trump is exposing the America that the Iranian government has being talking about for the past few decades. People are starting to think this. Trump in some way has united the Iranian people, before Trump citizens blamed the government for our isolation but the US president has shown that he doesn’t want peace. The work Obama did is long gone. We understand that for westerners the Trump administration is a big change, with many of his policies not being supported by the people, especially in America. We understand why westerners are protesting, but in Iran Trump’s foreign policy, his policy towards Iran, is the same policy that all American presidents have had. There’s no real change.

Amir, 24: I am LGBTQ and thought US culture was accepting, but now I think the opposite

There is a lot of anxiety about Trump among “normal” citizens, and by that I mean those not connected or supportive of the regime. That’s because at the end of the day it’s us who will pay for all these political games. There will be millions of crushed dreams as a result. I grew up with the internet, and American culture – at least the liberal part – has really shaped who I am. I am LGBTQ and it really helped me accept myself and be brave. I thought US culture was accepting, open and loving but now it seems the opposite.

Over all Americans, like Iranians, go along with the political feeling without thinking what it will mean for people. They might support an attack on Israel or the US, but we must resist war because it destroys millions of innocent lives.

My biggest fear is war. In Iran there’s this mandatory military service for novice young boys at the age of 18. I worry that millions of teenage boys will die because of lack of experience in a war they didn’t asked for. I also worry about the economy collapsing. This will impact everyday people in Iran. It won’t be the regime who pays for this. As the wise Taylor Swift wrote: “You know it’s all the same, another time and place. Repeating history and you’re getting sick of it.”

Anonymous, 30: If Trump starts a war with Iran it will make the region insecure

Everyone knows that he is more hostile towards Iran than other US presidents have been. At the same time we laugh at him because he is some of his suggestions, such as building a wall, seem ridiculous. He sometimes speaks and acts like a crazy person, so obviously he is more dangerous and more unpredictable. We won’t let him test his craziness on Iran, however, to learn his lessons in politics.

I am not in Tehran. If I was there, I would protest against Trump. They cannot treat the people of Iran the way they treat the oppressed people in Yemen, Iraq and elsewhere. The world does not have the capacity for another war. If Trump starts a war with Iran it will make the region insecure. This will affect the whole world.

Anonymous, 30 from Esfahan: I hope his irrational behaviour could mean growing support for Iran in the west

Trump’s hostile approach is only going to make things worse. Anonymous

Before the election many people viewed Donald Trump as the lesser of two evils since Hillary Clinton is seen as the same old corrupt politician. Now we see that his lack of experience combined with the incompetence of the people surrounding him (eg Sean Spicer), make the future unpredictably bad.

I don’t think protesting in the streets of Iran will make any different or change Trump’s mind so that’s why I am not doing it. I just hope he will be impeached. I would love people to view my country as a normal functioning part of the international community. Of course our country’s regime is partly to blame for the current situation. However, Trump’s hostile approach is only going to make things worse. On the other hand, his irrational behaviour could mean growing support for Iran in the west.

Anonymous, 22 from Zanjan: Extremist rulers in many parts of the world are dividing the people

The officials are apathetic about the travel ban, but many of the country’s students who want to pursue their studies abroad are really worried. They are totally confused by this decision. Also, some of the patients who need to be seen by American doctors and worry about what might happen. The bottom line is a lot of people are now suffering because extremist rulers in many parts of the world are dividing people of different nations. God help us all.

• Some names have been changed.





