Demand a federal investigation into Eissa Hashemi and Maryam Tahmasebi
The Issue
Petition for a Full Federal Investigation into Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi, Their Financial Networks, and Potential Regime-Linked Funding
To the United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of State, Department of the Treasury, OFAC, FBI, and other appropriate federal authorities:
We respectfully request a comprehensive federal review of the immigration status, financial history, sources of funding, foreign connections, and potential national-security implications associated with Eissa Seyed Hashemi, his wife Maryam Tahmasebi, and any individuals or entities financially supporting them, consistent with applicable U.S. law and due-process protections.
This request is not based merely on nationality, political opinion, or family relationship. It is based on the extraordinary historical and political circumstances surrounding the Hashemi family and the need for full transparency regarding possible connections to the Islamic Republic of Iran and its affiliated networks.
1. Historical connection to the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis
Eissa Hashemi is the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar, who became internationally known as the English-language spokesperson for the Iranian students who seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
During that crisis, 52 American citizens were held hostage for 444 days. Ebtekar served as a prominent public spokesperson for the hostage-takers and subsequently held senior positions within the Islamic Republic, including serving as a vice president of Iran. These historical facts have been extensively documented.
The United States has a legitimate national-security interest in determining whether individuals with close family connections to senior figures associated with anti-American activities and the Iranian regime maintain continuing financial, political, organizational, or other relationships with that regime.
2. Request for investigation of financial sources and assets
We request that appropriate federal authorities examine, to the extent permitted by law:
The sources of income and wealth of Eissa Hashemi and Maryam Tahmasebi;
Their U.S. employment, compensation, property ownership, investments, businesses, and other significant assets;
Any funds, gifts, transfers, loans, trusts, or other financial benefits originating directly or indirectly from Iran;
Any financial relationship with Iranian government officials, state-controlled entities, sanctioned individuals, or organizations affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC);
Any unexplained discrepancy between reported income and significant assets or expenditures;
Any foreign bank accounts or financial transfers that may be relevant to U.S. sanctions or national-security laws.
This request does not assume that the existence of wealth or foreign connections constitutes a crime. We are asking federal authorities to determine, through appropriate legal procedures, whether any violations have occurred.
3. Investigation of fundraising and financial support
We further request a review of fundraising campaigns established to provide financial or legal assistance to the Hashemi family, including any GoFundMe or similar campaigns.
The purpose of this request is not to criminalize individuals merely because they donated money.
Rather, we ask authorities to determine:
Who established and controls the fundraising accounts;
Who the major donors are, where legally obtainable;
The source and ultimate destination of substantial contributions;
Whether any donor or intermediary is acting on behalf of a foreign government, foreign political organization, sanctioned person, or other restricted entity;
Whether any funds originate from, pass through, or ultimately benefit persons or organizations subject to U.S. sanctions;
Whether any fundraising or financial-transfer mechanism is being used to circumvent U.S. sanctions, immigration restrictions, or other applicable laws.
Any investigation should be conducted according to U.S. law, including applicable privacy, constitutional, and due-process protections.
4. Why financial transparency matters
The Iranian regime has a long history of anti-American activity, including the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy and hostage-taking.
At the same time, members of the Iranian political establishment and their families have, in various cases, been accused of enjoying access to resources and privileges unavailable to ordinary Iranian citizens.
The American public therefore has a legitimate interest in knowing whether individuals closely connected to such officials have obtained substantial assets or financial support in the United States through lawful private means—or whether any portion of those resources can be traced to prohibited or undisclosed foreign sources.
The answer should come from evidence, financial records, and competent government investigation—not speculation.
5. Academic and institutional accountability
We also request that educational institutions employing or affiliating with individuals connected to this case conduct appropriate institutional due diligence consistent with their policies and applicable law.
Eissa Hashemi has been reported as having worked as a professor at The Chicago School.
Academic employment should not itself be treated as evidence of wrongdoing. However, institutions receiving public trust should have appropriate procedures for evaluating potential conflicts of interest, undisclosed foreign influence, sanctions exposure, and national-security concerns where credible evidence warrants review.
6. Immigration and national-security review
We ask the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State to conduct a complete review of the family's immigration history, including:
visa applications;
permanent-resident applications;
immigration interviews and representations;
potential omissions or misrepresentations;
foreign-government connections;
national-security information available to the government;
and any evidence that their continued presence in the United States could create foreign-policy or national-security concerns.
We recognize that immigration proceedings must follow the law and that individuals are entitled to due process.
Our request is therefore for a thorough investigation and lawful determination, not punishment without evidence.
7. Equal application of American law
The United States should not become a safe financial or political environment for foreign-regime networks to operate beyond the reach of American oversight.
At the same time, American law must be applied based on evidence rather than collective punishment or guilt by association.
Therefore, we ask the relevant federal agencies to determine whether Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi, their financial supporters, or any associated entities have:
violated U.S. sanctions;
concealed foreign financial support;
received prohibited funds;
acted on behalf of a foreign government or foreign political organization without required disclosure;
made material misrepresentations to U.S. immigration authorities;
or otherwise engaged in conduct relevant to U.S. national security or foreign policy.
Our Demand
We respectfully call upon the U.S. government to conduct a full, transparent, evidence-based federal investigation into:
Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi, their financial networks, their sources of wealth, their foreign connections, and the sources and recipients of substantial financial assistance provided on their behalf.
If the investigation establishes violations of U.S. law, sanctions regulations, immigration law, or national-security requirements, we urge the appropriate authorities to take all lawful enforcement and immigration actions available to them.
If no violation is established, the government should say so clearly.
The American people deserve transparency.
The Iranian people deserve accountability.
And U.S. laws concerning sanctions, foreign influence, immigration, and national security must apply equally to everyone—regardless of wealth, political connections, academic position, or family background.
We call for investigation based on evidence, accountability under American law, and complete financial transparency.
This is personal to me as an Iranian who believes the United States must stand with the Iranian people and enforce its laws equally. I urge President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and OFAC to ensure that any credible concerns involving Iranian regime connections, foreign funding, sanctions, or national security are thoroughly investigated under U.S. law.
35
The Issue
Petition for a Full Federal Investigation into Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi, Their Financial Networks, and Potential Regime-Linked Funding
To the United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of State, Department of the Treasury, OFAC, FBI, and other appropriate federal authorities:
We respectfully request a comprehensive federal review of the immigration status, financial history, sources of funding, foreign connections, and potential national-security implications associated with Eissa Seyed Hashemi, his wife Maryam Tahmasebi, and any individuals or entities financially supporting them, consistent with applicable U.S. law and due-process protections.
This request is not based merely on nationality, political opinion, or family relationship. It is based on the extraordinary historical and political circumstances surrounding the Hashemi family and the need for full transparency regarding possible connections to the Islamic Republic of Iran and its affiliated networks.
1. Historical connection to the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis
Eissa Hashemi is the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar, who became internationally known as the English-language spokesperson for the Iranian students who seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
During that crisis, 52 American citizens were held hostage for 444 days. Ebtekar served as a prominent public spokesperson for the hostage-takers and subsequently held senior positions within the Islamic Republic, including serving as a vice president of Iran. These historical facts have been extensively documented.
The United States has a legitimate national-security interest in determining whether individuals with close family connections to senior figures associated with anti-American activities and the Iranian regime maintain continuing financial, political, organizational, or other relationships with that regime.
2. Request for investigation of financial sources and assets
We request that appropriate federal authorities examine, to the extent permitted by law:
The sources of income and wealth of Eissa Hashemi and Maryam Tahmasebi;
Their U.S. employment, compensation, property ownership, investments, businesses, and other significant assets;
Any funds, gifts, transfers, loans, trusts, or other financial benefits originating directly or indirectly from Iran;
Any financial relationship with Iranian government officials, state-controlled entities, sanctioned individuals, or organizations affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC);
Any unexplained discrepancy between reported income and significant assets or expenditures;
Any foreign bank accounts or financial transfers that may be relevant to U.S. sanctions or national-security laws.
This request does not assume that the existence of wealth or foreign connections constitutes a crime. We are asking federal authorities to determine, through appropriate legal procedures, whether any violations have occurred.
3. Investigation of fundraising and financial support
We further request a review of fundraising campaigns established to provide financial or legal assistance to the Hashemi family, including any GoFundMe or similar campaigns.
The purpose of this request is not to criminalize individuals merely because they donated money.
Rather, we ask authorities to determine:
Who established and controls the fundraising accounts;
Who the major donors are, where legally obtainable;
The source and ultimate destination of substantial contributions;
Whether any donor or intermediary is acting on behalf of a foreign government, foreign political organization, sanctioned person, or other restricted entity;
Whether any funds originate from, pass through, or ultimately benefit persons or organizations subject to U.S. sanctions;
Whether any fundraising or financial-transfer mechanism is being used to circumvent U.S. sanctions, immigration restrictions, or other applicable laws.
Any investigation should be conducted according to U.S. law, including applicable privacy, constitutional, and due-process protections.
4. Why financial transparency matters
The Iranian regime has a long history of anti-American activity, including the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy and hostage-taking.
At the same time, members of the Iranian political establishment and their families have, in various cases, been accused of enjoying access to resources and privileges unavailable to ordinary Iranian citizens.
The American public therefore has a legitimate interest in knowing whether individuals closely connected to such officials have obtained substantial assets or financial support in the United States through lawful private means—or whether any portion of those resources can be traced to prohibited or undisclosed foreign sources.
The answer should come from evidence, financial records, and competent government investigation—not speculation.
5. Academic and institutional accountability
We also request that educational institutions employing or affiliating with individuals connected to this case conduct appropriate institutional due diligence consistent with their policies and applicable law.
Eissa Hashemi has been reported as having worked as a professor at The Chicago School.
Academic employment should not itself be treated as evidence of wrongdoing. However, institutions receiving public trust should have appropriate procedures for evaluating potential conflicts of interest, undisclosed foreign influence, sanctions exposure, and national-security concerns where credible evidence warrants review.
6. Immigration and national-security review
We ask the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State to conduct a complete review of the family's immigration history, including:
visa applications;
permanent-resident applications;
immigration interviews and representations;
potential omissions or misrepresentations;
foreign-government connections;
national-security information available to the government;
and any evidence that their continued presence in the United States could create foreign-policy or national-security concerns.
We recognize that immigration proceedings must follow the law and that individuals are entitled to due process.
Our request is therefore for a thorough investigation and lawful determination, not punishment without evidence.
7. Equal application of American law
The United States should not become a safe financial or political environment for foreign-regime networks to operate beyond the reach of American oversight.
At the same time, American law must be applied based on evidence rather than collective punishment or guilt by association.
Therefore, we ask the relevant federal agencies to determine whether Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi, their financial supporters, or any associated entities have:
violated U.S. sanctions;
concealed foreign financial support;
received prohibited funds;
acted on behalf of a foreign government or foreign political organization without required disclosure;
made material misrepresentations to U.S. immigration authorities;
or otherwise engaged in conduct relevant to U.S. national security or foreign policy.
Our Demand
We respectfully call upon the U.S. government to conduct a full, transparent, evidence-based federal investigation into:
Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi, their financial networks, their sources of wealth, their foreign connections, and the sources and recipients of substantial financial assistance provided on their behalf.
If the investigation establishes violations of U.S. law, sanctions regulations, immigration law, or national-security requirements, we urge the appropriate authorities to take all lawful enforcement and immigration actions available to them.
If no violation is established, the government should say so clearly.
The American people deserve transparency.
The Iranian people deserve accountability.
And U.S. laws concerning sanctions, foreign influence, immigration, and national security must apply equally to everyone—regardless of wealth, political connections, academic position, or family background.
We call for investigation based on evidence, accountability under American law, and complete financial transparency.
This is personal to me as an Iranian who believes the United States must stand with the Iranian people and enforce its laws equally. I urge President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and OFAC to ensure that any credible concerns involving Iranian regime connections, foreign funding, sanctions, or national security are thoroughly investigated under U.S. law.
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Petition created on August 20, 2026