US revokes visas of Iranian nationals linked to regime
The Trump administration has revoked the green cards or visas of at least four Iranian citizens with ties to the current or former Iranian government, including two people detained by immigration authorities and awaiting deportation.
The latest measures were taken this week when Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that these individuals were no longer eligible for lawful permanent resident status or entry into the United States.
These steps follow a move late last year in which the visas of many diplomats and staff serving in Iran’s mission to the United Nations were also cancelled.
The nephew and grandson of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard chief Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a 2020 U.S. airstrike near Baghdad airport, were detained by immigration officials late Friday after Rubio revoked their green cards, the State Department said Saturday.
The statement stated that “Hamideh Soleimani Afşar and her daughter are currently in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement”, while Afşar’s husband was also banned from entering the US.
According to the statement, Afshar and his daughter had been living a “lavish lifestyle” in Los Angeles for many years while openly supporting the Iranian government and anti-American attacks.
Rubio said in a post on X that he is “an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrates attacks on Americans and refers to our country as the ‘Great Satan.
“The Trump administration will not allow our country to host foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.”
Iran’s mission to the UN had no comment on Saturday.
Afshar and his daughter are the latest Iranians to have their legal status in the United States revoked by Rubio, who recently revoked the visas of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of Iran’s former national security adviser Ali Larijani, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike last month.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that her husband Seyed Kalantar Motamedi’s visa was also cancelled. Neither is still in the US.
In early December, well before anti-government protests in Iran escalated and the war began, the State Department canceled or refused to renew the visas of several Iranian diplomats, including the deputy ambassador and staff at Iran’s mission to the United Nations.
The ministry said in a statement Friday that the action was taken on Dec. 4 but declined to comment further “for privacy and security reasons,” except to say it was unrelated to protests or war.
