Washington, DC: The Trump administration has canceled the permanent resident status of several more long-term Iranian nationals in the United States who are closely linked to top current or past officials in Iran, intensifying a targeted campaign against regime affiliates living on US soil.
Detentions Tied to Ebtekar
The State Department announced it has moved against Seyed Eissa Hashemi, a psychology instructor in the Los Angeles region, along with his wife and son. The family consists of Iranian-born lawful permanent residents of the US, as reported by The Economic Times.
In a statement timed with the start of negotiations to end the conflict with Iran in Pakistan, the department said the individuals were detained by immigration authorities and are currently “slated for deportation.”
The department identified Hashemi as the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar, who rose to fame as a spokeswoman for the group behind the 1979 US Embassy takeover in Tehran and later became Iran’s first female vice president.
Crackdown on Soleimani Ties
The latest steps build on recent enforcement against foreign nationals tied to Iran’s leadership. After US Secretary of State Marco Rubio terminated their Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status, ICE took them into custody.
Among them: Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, niece of former IRGC Major General Qasem Soleimani, and her daughter, whose green cards were revoked. Rubio labeled Afshar an “outspoken supporter” of the Iranian regime, accusing her of promoting propaganda and celebrating assaults on US troops.
The statement detailed: “Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement… she promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks against American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East, praised the new Iranian Supreme Leader, denounced America as the ‘Great Satan’, and voiced her unflinching support for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terror organisation.”
Officials noted Afshar’s luxurious life in Los Angeles amid such activities. Her husband is now prohibited from entering the US.
The crackdown also hit Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of the late Ali Larijani, and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Both lost legal status and face permanent entry bans.
Rubio’s Anti-Regime Policy
The State Department praised coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Underscoring the policy, Rubio wrote on X: “The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.”
