U.S. Revokes Status of Iran-Linked Individuals, Two Detained

The U.S. government has revoked the lawful permanent resident status or visas of at least four Iranian nationals identified as having connections to current or former Iranian government officials.

Two individuals have been detained by immigration authorities and face deportation, while the others are no longer in the United States. These actions follow earlier visa revocations for Iranian personnel at the country's United Nations mission.

Recent Revocations and Detentions

This week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that the individuals were no longer eligible for lawful permanent resident status or entry into the United States.

Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and Sarinasadat Hosseiny were arrested by immigration agents in Los Angeles late Friday. Afshar is identified as the niece of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani. Hosseiny is her daughter. Their green cards were revoked, and Afshar’s husband has also been banned from entering the U.S.

According to a State Department statement, Afshar and her daughter had resided in Los Angeles for many years. The statement alleged they had publicly supported the Iranian government and anti-American attacks.

Department of Homeland Security officials provided additional immigration history:

• Afshar entered the U.S. in 2015 on a tourist visa, was granted asylum in 2019, and became a lawful permanent resident in 2021. She has traveled to Iran four times since 2021.
• Hosseiny entered on a student visa, was granted asylum in 2019, and became a lawful permanent resident in 2023.

The visas of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani and Seyed Kalantar Motamedi were also revoked. Ardeshir-Larijani is an academic and daughter of Iran’s former national security adviser Ali Larijani. Motamedi is her husband. Neither individual is currently in the United States.

Background on Qassem Soleimani

Qassem Soleimani, who led Iran’s Quds Force from 1998 until his death, was killed in a U.S. airstrike at a Baghdad airport in January 2020. The Pentagon stated at the time that Soleimani was developing plans to attack U.S. military personnel and diplomats in the Middle East.

Previous Visa Actions at U.N. Mission

In early December, the State Department revoked or declined to renew visas for several Iranian diplomats, including the deputy ambassador, and staff at Iran’s mission to the United Nations.

The department stated this action, taken on December 4, was unrelated to protests in Iran or ongoing conflict in the region.

The Iranian mission to the U.N. did not provide comment on the recent revocations and arrests.