On Thursday, January 29th, the U.S. State Department issued a statement via the social platform X, announcing that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked the residency privileges of senior Iranian officials and their families in the United States.
The statement emphasized that amidst the ongoing struggle of the Iranian people for basic rights, actions were taken this week to revoke the residency privileges of Iranian high-ranking officials and their families in the U.S. Those who profit from the brutal repression by the Iranian regime are not welcome and should not enjoy preferential treatment under the U.S. immigration system.
In late December of last year, Iran witnessed widespread protests by its citizens. These protests initially stemmed from public discontent over high inflation, rising cost of living, and the steep depreciation of the Iranian currency.
Subsequently, the demonstrations expanded to include calls for the overthrow of the ruling regime, with the people demanding the end of the Islamic Republic. President Trump of the United States repeatedly warned the authorities in Tehran against executing protesters, stating that such actions could lead to military strikes against the Iranian regime.
Tehran continued to violently suppress the protesters. According to a report released on Thursday by the Human Rights Activist News Agency, within 33 days since the outbreak of the protests, a confirmed total of 6,479 people have died.
Out of these casualties, 6,092 were protesters, 214 were pro-government armed personnel, 118 were children under the age of 18, and 55 were civilians not involved in the protests. The report also highlighted that over 11,000 civilians were injured, and there were 281 instances of forced confessions under torture.
The Epoch Times is unable to independently verify the accuracy of the above data.
The restrictions imposed by the U.S. Secretary of State on Iranian officials and their families are among the latest measures taken by the Trump administration to increase pressure on the Iranian regime.
On January 28th, President Trump mentioned a “massive fleet” heading towards Iran. In a post on Truth Social, he stated that the fleet is “moving rapidly with great power, high spirits, and clear purpose” and urged the Iranian regime to reach an agreement on the nuclear issue.
In response to Trump’s warning, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations stated that if pressured, Iran would defend itself and take “unprecedented retaliatory action.”
The statement also expressed Iran’s willingness to engage in dialogue based on mutual respect and common interests.
On January 23rd, the U.S. Treasury Department announced increased pressure on the “shadow fleet” transporting Iranian oil. The Department stated that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is imposing sanctions on nine vessels of the shadow fleet and their shipowners or management companies, which collectively transport hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil to global markets.
Under the sanction provisions, entities and individuals listed are subject to asset freezes within the U.S. or controlled by U.S. persons.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remarked, “The Iranian regime is caught in an economic self-immolation, and this process is accelerating under President Trump’s maximum pressure policy. Tehran’s choice to support terrorists over its own people has led to the collapse of the Iranian currency and living conditions.”
He added, “Today’s sanctions target key channels through which Iran raises funds to suppress its own people. As previously stated, the Treasury Department will continue to track the tens of millions of dollars this regime has stolen, as Iran desperately tries to funnel this money to banks outside Iran.”
The U.S. State Department, in its statement on January 23rd, highlighted that the actions will further restrict Tehran’s ability to export oil through “covert and deceptive mechanisms.”
The State Department reiterated its commitment to implementing the National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, signed by Trump on February 4th last year. The presidential order mandates pressuring the Iranian regime severely to compel Iran to cease nuclear threats, end support for terrorist organizations, and limit its ballistic missile program.
Meanwhile, an academic institution in the U.S. has dismissed a member of an Iranian regime senior official’s family following complaints.
According to a report by The Emory Wheel, a student publication at Emory University in Georgia on January 24th, the university’s medical school announced that Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of an Iranian government official, is no longer employed by the institution.
Earlier, Georgia Republican Congressman Buddy Carter had called for her dismissal on January 22nd on the X social platform, citing her father Ali Larijani’s role as a senior official in the Islamic Republic of Iran who openly incited violence against Americans. The link to global terrorism financing was deemed unacceptable, posing threats to patient safety, compromising public trust, and endangering national security.