Originally Posted by
Kiwi Flyer
Just having Iran on the same ticket as USA could cause problems visiting USA on ESTA in future. They can't differentiate between airside transit and visit.
Indeed, from ticketed PNR surveillance, the USG can't so easily tell the difference between an airside transit and a non-airside transit connection. But the USG can tell the difference between (i) a connection and (ii) a stopover/origin/destination.