Iran’s ambassador to Mexico has confirmed plans to open a consular office inside the Canaco Tijuana building and launch a direct flight route between Iran and Tijuana, according to an announcement by the Tijuana chamber of commerce president.
Olivaldo Paz, president of Canaco Tijuana (the National Chamber of Commerce’s local chapter), said the Iranian ambassador presented both initiatives during recent discussions. The embassy office would operate three days a week and is expected to open within three months. No firm date has been set for either the office opening or the flight route launch.
Serving Iranians Across the Border
The consular office would primarily serve Iranian nationals living in Southern California. Tens of thousands of Iranian Americans reside in the greater Los Angeles area, one of the largest Iranian diaspora communities outside Iran. Currently, Iran has no diplomatic mission in Tijuana; its nearest consular presence in Mexico is the embassy in Mexico City.
The timing of the announcement comes as Tijuana’s ties with Iran have drawn international attention during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Iran’s national soccer team relocated its base camp to Tijuana after the U.S. denied visas to several Iranian delegation members amid the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran. The team has been staying at a Marriott hotel in the city, with Mexican National Guard personnel providing security.
Direct Flights Would Be a First
A direct flight between Iran and Tijuana would be unprecedented. No Iranian airline currently operates routes to Mexico. The proposed route would likely serve both diplomatic and commercial purposes, giving Iranian nationals in Southern California a gateway that avoids U.S. airspace and immigration controls.
Canaco Tijuana is one of the city’s most prominent business organizations, representing thousands of local merchants and service providers. Housing a foreign consular office inside a chamber of commerce building is unusual but not without precedent in Mexican border cities, where space constraints and cross-border demand sometimes produce creative arrangements.
Iran maintains full diplomatic relations with Mexico, a relationship that has taken on new significance as U.S.-Iran tensions escalate. Mexico’s willingness to host Iranian diplomatic and sports operations in Tijuana has placed the border city at the center of a geopolitical story far larger than its local business community anticipated.
Neither Paz nor the Iranian embassy has provided details on which airline would operate the proposed flight route or the expected office staffing. The story was first reported by Baja California Post.