June 6, 2007

Embassy of the United States of America
Kuwait City, Kuwait

MEMORANDUM

To:             All American Wardens
From:         Consular Section
Subject:      Warden Notice 2007 – 9

Please circulate the following message without additions or omissions immediately to all American citizens within your area of responsibility:

Begin text.

IRAN

May 31, 2007

The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to carefully consider the risks of travel to Iran.  Dual national Iranian-American citizens may encounter difficulty in departing Iran.  This Travel Warning supersedes the Travel Warning for Iran issued October 10, 2006.

Some elements of the Iranian regime and the population remain hostile to the United States.  As a result, American citizens may be subject to harassment or arrest while traveling or residing in Iran.  Recently, Iranian authorities have prevented a number of Iranian-American citizen academics, journalists, and others who traveled to Iran for personal reasons from leaving, and in some cases have detained and imprisoned them on various charges, including espionage and being threat to the regime.  Americans of Iranian origin should consider the risk of being targeted by authorities before planning travel to Iran.  Iranian authorities may deny dual nationals access to the United States Interests Section in Tehran, because they are considered to be solely Iranian citizens. 

The Iranian regime continues to repress its minority ethnic and religious groups, including Azeris, Kurds, Bahai, ethnic Arabs, and others. Consequently, some areas within the country where these minorities reside, including the Baluchistan border area near Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Kurdish northwest of the country, and areas near the Iraqi border, remain unsafe.  Armed attacks on the road between Bam and Kerman this May also render this area unsafe.

Large-scale demonstrations have taken place in various regions throughout Iran over the past several years as a result of a sometimes volatile political climate.  U.S. citizens who travel to Iran despite this Travel Warning should exercise caution. 

The U.S. government does not have diplomatic or consular relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and therefore, cannot provide protection or routine consular services to American citizens in Iran.  The Swiss government, acting through its Embassy in Tehran, serves as protecting power for U.S. interests in Iran.  Neither U.S. passports nor visas to the United States are issued in Tehran.  The Iranian Government does not recognize dual citizenship and generally does not permit the Swiss to provide protective services for U.S. citizens who are also Iranian nationals.  In addition, U.S. citizens of Iranian origin who are considered by Iran to be Iranian citizens have been detained and harassed by Iranian authorities.  Former Muslims who have converted to other religions, as well as persons who encourage Muslims to convert, are subject to arrest and prosecution. 

Americans who travel or reside in Iran despite this Travel Warning are strongly encouraged to register through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov.  If they are in Tehran, American citizens may also register in person at the U.S. Interest Section of the Swiss Embassy at Africa Avenue, West Farzan Street, no. 59, Tehran.  The local telephone numbers are 021-8878-2964 and 021-8879-2364, fax 021-8877-3265, e-mail:  tie.vertretung@eda.admin.ch

U.S. citizens should also consult the Department of State’s Consular Information Sheet for Iran, and the current Worldwide Caution and Middle East and North Africa Public Announcements, which are located on the Department’s Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov.  American citizens may also obtain updated information on travel and security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States or Canada, or, from overseas, 1-202-501-4444.

End Text.

Arabic summary of the first three paragraphs of the above message:

 

بيان تحذيري من السÙ?ر الى إيران
31 مايو 2007 

استحدثت الخارجية الأمريكية هذا البيان التحذيري لتنبه المواطنين الأمريكيين من مخاطر السÙ?ر الى إيران Ùˆ خاصة الاشخاص الذين يحملون الجنسية الامريكية Ùˆ الايرانية Ù?ÙŠ آن واحد حيث إنهم قد يواجهون صعوبات لمغادرة إيران. 

Ùˆ ذلك لان لدى بعض عناصر النظام والبعض من الشعب الايراني مواقÙ? عدائية نحو الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية مم يعرض المواطنين الأمريكيين للمضايقات اوالاعتقال اثناء زيارتهم او إقامتهم Ù?ÙŠ إيران.  

يمكنكم الحصول على النسخة الكاملة من هذا البيان باللغة الانجليزية من خلال موقع السÙ?ارة الأمريكية
http://kuwait.usembassy.gov

To listen to a recording of this warden notice in English please call 259-1048, for Arabic please call 259-1049. 

This message may be accessed on the Embassy website, http://kuwait.usembassy.gov
American citizens in Kuwait who would like to receive future Warden Messages from the Embassy directly by e-mail may sign up for this service by sending an e-mail to the following address: join-wardenmessagekuwait@mh.databack.com 

American citizens resident and visiting in Kuwait who are not registered with the Embassy, or whose registration information has changed, are urged to register as soon as possible.  They may now do so on-line at the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs’ website at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/home.asp 

American citizens also may register in person by coming with their passport to the American Citizen Services Unit, Consular Section, from 9 AM to 11 AM and from 1 PM to 3 PM on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays; on Mondays from 1 PM to 3 PM; and on the first Sunday of each month from 5 PM to 7 PM. 

This message may be accessed on the Embassy website, American citizens in Kuwait who would like to receive future Warden Messages from the Embassy directly by e-mail may sign up for this service by sending an e-mail to the following address:   American citizens resident and visiting in Kuwait who are not registered with the Embassy, or whose registration information has changed, are urged to register as soon as possible.  They may now do so on-line at the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs’ website at   American citizens also may register in person by coming with their passport to the American Citizen Services Unit, Consular Section, from 9 AM to 11 AM and from 1 PM to 3 PM on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays; on Mondays from 1 PM to 3 PM; and on the first Sunday of each month from 5 PM to 7 PM.