US plane with Iranian deportees turns back on Pakistan refusal

A US deportation flight carrying at least nine Iranian nationals returned to Arizona after Pakistan reportedly refused to receive the group, disrupting Washington’s plan to send them to Iran through a transit route.

The charter plane left Mesa, Arizona, shortly before 5 am local time on Tuesday, November 10, but returned about 30 minutes later. The passengers were subsequently taken back to an immigration detention facility, The New York Times reported.

In a post on X, The New York Times journalist Elian Peltier said Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson declined to comment on the aborted flight.

“A spokesman for Pakistan’s foreign ministry declined to comment on the rebuffed flight.”https://t.co/Zg6m4tvXJv pic.twitter.com/4hwayyy80u

— Elian Peltier (@ElianPeltier) November 11, 2026

The Trump administration has been exploring the use of Pakistan as a transit point for deportations to Iran and Afghanistan, countries with which the US has no formal diplomatic relations.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said last week that the proposed arrangement for deportations to Afghanistan was under consideration.

The flight reversal followed another cancelled attempt on Sunday, when at least eight Iranian detainees boarded an aircraft in Arizona before the operation was abandoned.

The deportations have also faced legal opposition. The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund has accused US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of sharing confidential asylum information with Iranian authorities, putting vulnerable applicants at risk.

The organisation represents Iranian asylum seekers, including political dissidents and members of religious and LGBTQ+ communities.

The US Department of Homeland Security said the passengers on Tuesday’s flight had criminal records and final removal orders. It maintained that the administration was pursuing all lawful options to carry out its deportation programme.

The United States and Iran have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1979.

Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News, Technology, Entertainment, Sports, Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS.