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The daughter of a powerful Iranian regime insider who was forced out of Emory University after a firestorm of backlash is set to be booted from the United States completely.
Dr. Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, whose father is a top official in Tehran, was removed from her post at the prestigious Atlanta school following mounting outrage over her family’s ties to the regime, as first reported by the Post.
She worked as an assistant professor at Emory University’s prestigious Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta.
The controversy surrounding Ardeshir-Larijani sparked backlash from critics who questioned how someone so closely linked to Iran’s ruling elite had secured a position at a leading American research institution.
The controversy quickly drew the attention of lawmakers, including Rep. Buddy Carter, who in a formal letter demanded her removal and argued US institutions must not serve as a “safe harbor” for individuals tied to hostile regimes, according to his office.
Carter also warned that her continued presence posed a national security risk.
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.
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