Overview
- DHS said it removed Ehsan Khaledi, Mohammad Mehrani, and Morteza Nasirikakolaki, describing them as former IRGC members and known or suspected terrorists with Executable Final Orders.
- The flight carried 14 Iranian nationals after earlier passenger counts were pared back due to illness and other logistical issues, including measles-related quarantines reported in Arizona detention facilities.
- Two gay Iranian asylum seekers who had been listed for removal were not on the plane, with one receiving a temporary court stay and the other held in measles quarantine.
- Homeland Security stated the three deported men entered the U.S. illegally in 2024, two in Southern California and one near San Luis, Arizona.
- It was the third charter returning Iranians since September 2025, as CENTCOM confirmed the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has arrived in the region.