Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested several Iranian nationals with criminal backgrounds, including a former Iranian Army sniper and one with ties to Hezbollah, in the wake of Saturday’s U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities.
According to a FOX News report, the list continues to grow, with five more arrested on Monday in addition to the 11 announced by the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday morning.
“We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out—and we are,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a news release. “We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland.”
Rapid Response 47 posted on X: “Since Sunday, @ICEgov has arrested 11 Iranian nationals in the U.S. illegally across eight states — including a former sniper in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
🚨 Since Sunday, @ICEgov has arrested 11 Iranian nationals in the U.S. illegally across eight states — including a former sniper in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. pic.twitter.com/mrwlpn0xzC
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 24, 2025
The Department of Homeland Security issued a news release Tuesday with some of those arrested in recent days:
ICE Atlanta arrested Ribvar Karimi in Locust Fork, Ala., on Sunday, June 22. Karimi reportedly served as an Iranian Army sniper from 2018 to 2021 and at the time of his arrest, in his possession, he had an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card, according to DHS, per local outlet WBRC 6 News.
Karimi entered the U.S. on a K-1 visa, which is reserved for aliens engaged to be married to American citizens, in October 2024 under the Biden administration. Karimi never adjusted his status, a legal requirement, and therefore is removable from the United States, per DHS.
Mehran Makari Saheli, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member, was arrested by ICE in St. Paul, Minn., and DHS said he has “admitted connections to Hezbollah,” according to KMSP FOX 9 in Minneapolis.
Saheli, a 56-year-old Iranian national, was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in Minneapolis, where he was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Saheli also has past convictions related to fraudulent immigration documents. He stayed in the U.S. despite being court-ordered to leave in June 2022.
ICE Houston officials arrested Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad, an alien with a final order of removal, who was carrying a loaded 9mm pistol at the time of his arrest. Sepehrian entered the U.S. in Houston on Dec. 9, 2016, on an F-1 student visa, per DHS and local outlet FOX 26 Houston.
On Aug. 19, 2017, Harris County police arrested him for assaulting a family member by impeding breathing, according to DHS. His wife alleged that he was threatening her and her family in Iran, and she sought a restraining order against him.
On July 23, 2018, the University of Texas terminated his status after he was placed on academic suspension. An immigration judge ordered him removed on Oct. 10, 2019, after he was released on an immigration bond, per DHS.
Also in Houston, ICE arrested Hamid Reza Bayat, an Iranian national who overstayed his welcome for 20 years. An immigration judge ordered Bayat removed on Aug. 4, 2005, per DHS.
Bayat had been convicted of drug crimes twice and driving on a suspended license once. He served time before receiving his final order of removal.
Yousef Mehridehno was arrested by ICE on Sunday in Mississippi and was on a “known or suspected” terror watchlist as of February. Mehridehno, an Iranian national and former lawful permanent resident, had his residency terminated by the U.S. government in October 2017.
Officials determined he lied on his original visa application and committed potential marriage fraud. In February, Mehridehno was listed as a known or suspected terrorist, and he’s now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings, per DHS.
In Tempe — a Phoenix, Ariz., suburb — ICE agents arrested Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, an Iranian citizen with a final order of removal charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm. They were also threatened by a U.S. citizen living at the same residence, according to DHS.
Eidivand entered the U.S. in San Ysidro, Calif., in June 2012. In August 2013, an immigration judge granted him a voluntary departure, which allows an alien to leave the country without a formal ICE removal, but he never left.
ICE agents also arrested Linet Vartannivartanians, a United States citizen, for threatening a law enforcement officer. She threatened to shoot ICE officials if they entered her home, then said she would go outside and “shoot ICE officers in the head.” ICE officials obtained a search warrant for the residence and arrested the pair, who are now charged with federal crimes.
Another pair of Iranian nationals were nabbed by ICE officials in Colorado Springs, Colorado. ICE arrested Mahmoud Shafiei and Mehrdad Mehdipour — two illegally present Iranian nationals living together — on Sunday.
Immigration officials first encountered Shafiei in Seattle, Wash., in January 1981; a judge ordered him removed in January 1987. His criminal history includes state and federal convictions for drug crimes and arrests for assault and child abuse.
U.S. Border Patrol encountered Mehdipour in June 2023 during the Biden administration near Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and processed him as an expedited removal. Both men are in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
On Monday, 45-year-old Mohammad Hassanpoor was arrested by officers in Baltimore and given a “Third County Notice.” He was previously criminally convicted of “assault with a deadly weapon or force likely to produce great bodily injury,” where he was sentenced to just under a year behind bars.
Kaveh Abedi, 45, was arrested in Chicago on Monday for “violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act” and had a 2001 conviction for selling cocaine.
Arish Rustami was also arrested and has a prior sex offense, and Abdolmohammad Raghibzadeh was taken into ICE custody on Monday. He’s had a deportation order since November 2005 from an Arizona immigration judge, and he’s currently an Iranian citizen, according to ICE.
Sahand Yousefinasrabadi was arrested Monday by federal authorities “during targeted enforcement action” in Fort Worth, Texas. Yousefinasrabadi was convicted in Sept. 2013 of aggravated sexual assault of a child, and he was asked in October 2013 to leave the U.S. by an immigration judge.
ICE San Francisco arrested Bahman Alizadeh Asfestani, a 62-year-old Iranian national, with a criminal history that includes a 1994 conviction for petty theft and a 1995 conviction of possession of a controlled substance for sale. Asfestani was sentenced to 10 years in state prison for the drug conviction.
ICE Buffalo arrested Mohammad Rafikian, a 65-year-old Iranian national convicted of grand larceny, schemes to defraud, criminal impersonation and practicing as an attorney.
Also Monday, ICE San Diego arrested Arkavan Babk Moirokorli, a 57-year-old Iranian national convicted of forging an official seal. Both are in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
