Deportation flight of Iranians from U.S. canceled at last minute, attorney says

A planned US deportation flight carrying Iranian nationals was cancelled shortly after at least eight detainees boarded in Arizona on Sunday, an attorney said. The cancellation came amid a lawsuit alleging the US government shared confidential asylum information with Iranian officials, and court scrutiny of plans to return detainees to Iran during the war.

The flight was due to travel via Georgia and Pakistan, with Iranian officials expected to arrange the final journey to Iran. Attorneys said about a dozen detainees had recently been told they were scheduled for deportation; court records also showed three flights returned more than 100 Iranians between September 2025 and January 2026. A judge has ordered the government to give advance notice of any deportation plans, while the Department of Homeland Security declined to discuss flight details.