US Green Cards Revoked for Iranian Nationals with Ties to Anti-American Regime

In a firm move to strengthen national security, the Trump administration has revoked the green cards of several Iranian immigrants accused of having ties to the Iranian regime and harboring anti-American sentiments. 

The decision aligns with the administration’s commitment to preventing individuals linked to hostile foreign regimes from residing in the United States.

This week, the Department of State announced that three Iranian nationals—Seyed Eissa Hashemi, his wife Maryam Tahmasebi, and their son—had their lawful permanent resident (LPR) statuses terminated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The family was arrested by federal agents and is now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), pending removal from the country.

Seyed Eissa Hashemi is the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar, widely known as “Screaming Mary,” who served as the spokeswoman for the Islamist militants who stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. 

As the primary propagandist for the hostage-takers, Ebtekar crafted false narratives about the humane treatment of the hostages, arranging staged interviews while the captives endured solitary confinement, blindfolds, starvation, beatings, and mock executions. She later married one of the hostage-takers and rose to senior positions in Iran’s revolutionary government, including vice president from 2017 to 2021.

The family entered the United States in 2014 on visas issued during the Obama administration. In June 2016—months after the IRGC seized two U.S. Navy vessels and captured 10 American sailors—they were granted lawful permanent resident status through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. The Trump administration has since suspended the issuance of new diversity visas.

Last week, Secretary Rubio also terminated the legal status of Hamideh Afshar Soleimani, the niece of slain Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qasem Soleimani, and her daughter. Both are now in ICE custody awaiting removal. Additionally, the administration revoked the statuses of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Larijani, and her husband Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. The couple has already left the United States and is permanently barred from re-entry.

In a statement, the U.S. Department of State said: “This week, three Iranian nationals with ties to the Iranian regime were arrested by federal agents following Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s termination of their lawful permanent resident (LPR) statuses.” The department expressed appreciation to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE for their collaboration in protecting American citizens.

The Trump administration has made clear that it “will never allow America to become a home for foreign nationals tied to anti-American terrorist regimes.”