Seven Iranian individuals connected to Tehran’s regime, including five previously noted for enjoying opulent lifestyles in Los Angeles, are now facing deportation from the United States as the State Department intensifies its enforcement measures.
Leading these cases is the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar, infamously dubbed “Screaming Mary” during her time as a spokesperson for the militants in the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis in Tehran.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents apprehended her son, Seyed Eissa Hashemi, along with his wife and child, following a report by The Post about their affluent life in Los Angeles.
Initially, Hashemi’s family reported him missing, but it was subsequently confirmed by authorities that he had been detained.
In a related development the week prior, two other Iranians associated with the deceased General Qasem Soleimani were also taken into custody.
Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, 47, and her daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, 25, had their permanent residency status revoked on April 3. Afshar is a niece of Soleimani, and Hosseiny is his grandniece.
Afshar had expressed support for the Iranian regime in public posts, including praise for its leadership and rhetoric critical of the United States.
In a separate case, Dr. Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani – the daughter of a senior Iranian official – and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi, were also removed from the country amid mounting political pressure.
Ardeshir-Larijani had been working as an assistant professor at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta before facing backlash over her role.
The coordinated crackdown is being driven by Rubio, who has sought to prevent regime-linked figures from benefiting from life in the United States.
The moves come as Washington ramps up efforts to root out individuals with ties to the Iranian regime, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detaining some and revoking immigration status for others.
The Trump administration has made it a priority to oust anyone connected to the anti-American regime, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio warning the U.S. “will never allow America to become a home for foreign nationals tied to anti-American terrorist regimes.”
“America can never become home for anti-American terrorists or their families – and under the Trump Administration, it never will,” he said.
