WASHINGTON (AP) - The Trump administration has recently revoked the green cards and U.S. visas of at least four Iranian nationals connected to the Iranian government, including two individuals who have been detained by immigration authorities and are facing deportation. This move comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that these individuals are no longer eligible for lawful permanent resident status or entry into the United States.

The most recent actions occurred just this week, following a series of similar measures taken last year, during which the visas of several diplomats and staffers from Iran's mission to the United Nations were also revoked. The State Department announced that Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, the niece of late former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Qassem Soleimani, and her daughter were arrested by immigration agents after the revocation of their green cards.

According to the State Department's statement on Saturday, both Afshar and her daughter had been living in Los Angeles while publicly supporting the Iranian government and expressing anti-American sentiments. Rubio described Afshar as "an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans" and labeled the United States as the "Great Satan." He emphasized that the Trump administration would not permit the U.S. to become a haven for individuals supporting anti-American terrorist regimes.

The Iranian mission to the U.N. declined to comment on the recent developments. This latest action against Afshar and her daughter is part of a broader trend, as Rubio recently revoked the visas of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, an academic and 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, and both individuals are no longer in the U.S.

In December 2022, before the outbreak of anti-government protests in Iran or the onset of warfare, the State Department also took steps to revoke or decline to renew visas for several Iranian diplomats and staff, including the deputy ambassador at Iran’s U.N. mission. While the department confirmed that action was taken on December 4, they provided no further comments, citing privacy and security reasons. They stated that this action was unrelated to the subsequent protests or conflicts.

AP reporter Farnoush Amiri contributed to this story.

Matthew Lee, The Associated Press