‍People from seven countries have been barred entry into the US after an order from US President Donald Trump.

Trump on Friday signed an executive order blocking the entry of refugees from Syria and suspending the entry of any migrants or visitors from seven Muslim countries, namely Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.

His move triggered widespread international criticism and sweeping anger in the Muslim states and Muslim communities, along with worries from the business sector. 

"Welcoming refugees, who flee war and oppression, is part of our duty. We must ensure it happens in a fair, correct way and also with solidarity. And that's why European dialogue and European solidarity must continue to play a role, and each nation must play its part - so that societies are not unsettled but that they fulfill their commitments and that they are faithful to our values," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Saturday as he met with  German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel in Paris, France.

"Regional issues cannot be solved by closing the doors on people," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said during a joint news conference in Ankara with Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, adding that Western countries should do more to help ease Turkey's refugee burden.

May, however, refused to condemn Trump's refugee suspension.

"The United States is responsible for the United States' policy on refugees," she said when repeatedly pressed on the issue.

"The decision is an open affront against the Iranian nation and the Muslim world and Iran would respond to the US action in kind," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The decision by the United States of America includes illegal and irrational expectations which are against international law," the statement continued.

"In order to protect the dignity of all the Iranian people inside and outside the country, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran will scrutinize the short-term and long-term outcomes of the decision by the US government on Iranian nationals and will take appropriate consular, legal and political measures."

"The United States is a country where Christian traditions have an important meaning. Loving your neighbor is a major Christian value, and that includes helping people."

"I think that is what unites us in the West, and I think that is what we want to make clear to the Americans."‍

Leonard Doyle, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said, "This is an important message for I think every country in the world, whether in the globalized North or South to step it up, help these people who have already been assessed for resettlement. There is absolutely no reason that the United States should be carrying the biggest burden, and perhaps that's one of the important messages." 

Many US companies like Google and Microsoft are urgently calling back employees from overseas and rushing to provide legal advice and assistance. 

Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said in an email to staff that more than 100 Google employees were affected by the order. 

Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a company-wide email posted on LinkedIn that 76 company employees were citizens of the seven countries in question and held US work visas, and thus were directly affected by the order.