TEHRAN (Tasnim) An Iranian Foreign Ministry official denounced the racist decision by the US administration to ban the citizens of several countries, including Iran, from entering the United States.

The director general of the Iranian Expatriates Affairs Department at the Foreign Ministry of Iran vehemently deplored a proclamation signed by US President Donald Trump that bans the entry of people from Iran and several other predominantly Muslim countries.

Alireza Hashemi Raja slammed the travel ban as a testament to the self-righteous and racist mindset of the American policy-makers.

The US administrations decision to ban the entry of Iranians merely because of their faith and nationality- not only indicates the American decision-makers great hostility toward the people of Iran and Muslims, but also violates the fundamental principles of the international law, including the principle on the prohibition of discrimination and the basic human rights, he said.

The Iranian diplomat stated that the US travel ban on hundreds of millions of people because of their nationality or faith amounts to racial prejudice and systematic racism prevailing in the US government.

Hashemi Raja called on the United Nations and the human rights organizations to overtly oppose the US unilateral policies that have violated the human rights norms.

Trump on June 4 signed a proclamation banning the citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States, alleging that the move was needed to protect against "foreign terrorists" and other security threats.

The countries affected by the latest travel ban are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The entry of people from seven other countries - Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela - will be partially restricted.