An Iranian regime insider’s daughter, who left Emory University amid significant controversy, now faces expulsion from the United States.
Dr. Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of a high-ranking official in Tehran, was ousted from her position at the esteemed Atlanta institution after public outcry over her family’s regime connections, as initially reported by the Post.
She held the role of assistant professor at Emory University’s renowned Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta.
The uproar surrounding Ardeshir-Larijani stemmed from concerns about how someone so closely associated with Iran’s ruling class had been appointed at a prominent American research university.
The situation quickly caught the eye of lawmakers, including Representative Buddy Carter, who formally requested her removal. He emphasized that U.S. institutions should not offer sanctuary to individuals linked to adversarial regimes, according to his office.
Carter further cautioned that her presence could pose a threat to national security.
The pressure campaign ultimately succeeded, but the fallout didn’t stop there.
Ardeshir-Larijani’s legal status in the US was terminated earlier this month, part of a broader effort targeting foreign nationals with ties to Iran’s leadership and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the US designates as a terrorist organization, the US State Department confirmed.
She and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi, are no longer in the country and have been barred from reentry.
Officials said both were removed as part of a hardline crackdown on individuals linked to anti-American regimes.
The case underscores a widening crackdown on foreign nationals with ties to Iran’s ruling elite, even those embedded in elite American institutions, with officials emphasizing that the US will not allow individuals who support or are connected to anti-American terrorist regimes to remain in the country.
The Winship Cancer Institute is one of the university’s flagship medical research centers, known for cutting-edge cancer treatment and academic prestige.
Her exit highlights the increasing sensitivity around foreign ties in American academia, particularly when linked to governments viewed as adversarial to the U.S. It also underscores the reputational risks universities face when employing individuals connected to controversial regimes — even when those individuals are accomplished professionals in their own right.
Separately, on Saturday, authorities arrested Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, relatives of slain Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, in Los Angeles.
Both are now in ICE custody awaiting deportation, while Afshar’s husband has been barred from entering the US.
Officials accused Soleimani Afshar of publicly promoting Iranian regime propaganda, celebrating attacks on American forces, praising Iran’s new Supreme Leader, denouncing the US as the “Great Satan,” and supporting the IRGC, all while living a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, according to the State Department.
