Rubio revokes visas, green cards of Iranian nationals linked to regime
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press following a G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting with Partner Countries before his departure at the Bourget airport in Le Bourget, outside Paris, on March 27, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / POOL /
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration has canceled the green cards or U.S. visas of at least four Iranian nationals linked to the current or former Iranian government, including two who have been detained by immigration authorities and are facing deportation.
The latest actions were taken just this week when Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined they were no longer eligible for either lawful permanent resident status, or to enter the United States. The steps follow a move late last year in which the visas of several diplomats and staffers at Iran’s mission to the United Nations were also revoked.
Secretary Rubio on Iran: "these people will kill as many Americans they have a chance to do,"
Secretary Rubio on Iran: "these people will kill as many Americans they have a chance to do,"
What they're saying:
In a statement on Saturday, the State Department said the niece and grand-niece of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike near the Baghdad airport in 2020, had been arrested late Friday by immigration agents after Rubio revoked their green cards.
"Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement," the statement said, adding that Afshar’s husband has also been banned from entering the United States.
Afshar and her daughter had been living a "lavish lifestyle" in Los Angeles for many years while publicly supporting the Iranian government and anti-American attacks, according to the statement.
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She is "an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the "Great Satan," Rubio said in a post on X. "The Trump administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes."
Rubio clarifies US objectives in Iran
At a press conference after briefing the Gang of 8 in Congress, Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave clarifying comments on what exactly are the objectives of the US military in the Iran strikes named the Operation Epic Fury, which has sparked retaliations from Iran across the Middle East in Israel and other countries and US military bases.
The other side:
The Iranian mission to the U.N. had no comment Saturday.
Big picture view:
Afshar and her daughter are just the latest Iranians to have their legal status in the U.S. rescinded by Rubio, who recently revoked the visas of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, an academic and the daughter of Iran’s former national security adviser Ali Larijani who was killed in a U.S.-Israel airstrike last month. Her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi, also had his visa revoked, the State Department said. Neither are still in the U.S.
In early December, well before the surge of anti-government protests in Iran and the start of the war, the State Department revoked or declined to renew visas of several Iranian diplomats, including the deputy ambassador, and staffers at Iran’s mission to the United Nations.
The department said Friday that action had been taken on Dec. 4 but declined to comment further "for privacy and security reasons" except to note that it was unrelated to either the protests or the war.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes primarily from official statements by the U.S. State Department. This story was reported from Los Angeles.