ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Iranian foreign ministry on Saturday condemned the United States’ recent measure to place restrictions on the entry of citizens from nearly 20 countries, including Iran, calling the move a sign of Washington’s “racist mentality.”

US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order fully restricting and limiting the entry of nationals from Iran, Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while partially restricting the entry of nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm,” said Trump in a video announcing the sweeping proclamation.

Alireza Hashemi-Raja, the foreign ministry's director general for the affairs of Iranians abroad, strongly condemned the move, deeming it a violation of international law.

“Depriving hundreds of millions of people of the right to travel to another country - solely based on their nationality or religion - is an example of racial discrimination and systematic racism in the US ruling body and is considered a violation of international norms on the basis of human rights and will entail international responsibility for the US government,” said Hashemi-Raja.

The official added that Tehran will not refrain from taking any action to protect the rights of its citizens against “the effects and consequences of the discriminatory decision of the US government.”

During his first term, Trump imposed similar travel restrictions, widely labeled as the “Muslim ban.” The original ban affected people from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, but the restrictions were also extended to several non-Muslim countries in subsequent executive orders.