The Iranians had all received visitor visas to attend a California reunion of alumni of the Sharif University of Technology, the most respected scientific university in Iran. Once they landed in the United States, they were abruptly informed by immigration agents they were unwelcome.

Kourosh Elahidoost, a 49-year-old electrical engineer, told the Los Angeles Times that U.S. officials explained to him that visas cannot be issued to nationals of Iran because it is a “state sponsor of terrorism,” unless the individual can prove he or she is not a “threat” to national security.

Elahidoost was given the choice of withdrawing his request for a visa or being deported and denied entrance to the United States for 5-10 years. He withdrew his application. He was then incarcerated overnight in a Santa Ana jail cell with no bed. He flew out of the country the next day. Other Iranian detainees report being transported with their hands chained to their waists or handcuffed.

The Sharif University of Technology Association, which had organized the reunion, held a news conference to protest the visa denials.
 
 
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10,000 in D.C. protest Israeli attack on Lebanon  
 
 
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