Iran and Iraq Take Steps to Bar Americans in Response to Trump's Muslim Ban

Amid international outcry over U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order barring citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries, at least two of those nations are taking steps to ban U.S. citizens from their borders.

Members of the Iraqi parliament voted Monday in favor of a resolution calling on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to "respond in kind to the American decision in the event that the American side does not to withdraw its decision," a parliamentary official told Agence France Presse.

While questions remain about whether that ban will extend to the U.S. military or aid organizations, Iraqi lawmakers Kamil al-Ghrairi and Mohammed Saadoun told the Associated Press that "the decision is binding for the government," the news outlet explained.

"Both say the decision was passed by a majority votes in favor but couldn't offer specific numbers," AP reported Monday. "No further details were available on the wording of the parliament decision. It was also not immediately clear who the ban will apply to--American military personnel, non-government and aid workers, oil companies and other Americans doing business in Iraq."

The country's foreign affairs committee also called for a reciprocal travel ban while the foreign ministry issued a statement Monday demanding that "the new American administration reconsider this wrong decision," referring to Trump's executive order which bars citizens from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia--as well as green card holders from those nations--from entering the U.S.

Iran has also responded in kind. On Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement blasting the temporary ban as an "imprudent decision" that will only "further promote the campaign of hatred, violence, and extremism."

Thus, the ministry said it will "engage in a careful assessment of the short and medium-term impact of the decision...and will take proportionate legal, consular, and political action and--while respecting the American people and differentiating between them and the hostile policies of the U.S. Government--will take reciprocal measures in order to safeguard the rights of its citizens until the time of the removal of the insulting restrictions of the Government of the United States against Iranian nations."

Sharing the statement on Twitter, Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif wrote:

Meanwhile, the Iranian English language newspaper Financial Tribune reported Monday that the republic is "going to stop using the U.S. dollar as its currency of choice in its financial and foreign exchange reports from the new fiscal year that begins in March," per an order from the governor of the Central Bank of Iran.