Federal authorities arrested a Tempe, Arizona, couple after the wife of an Iranian national allegedly threatened to shoot ICE agents who came to their home to enforce a long-standing deportation order, as reported by the New York Post.
Linet Vartanians, 37, and her husband, Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, 40, were both federally indicted Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The charges stem from a confrontation that took place Saturday at the couple’s residence after federal immigration officers attempted to take Eidivand into custody.
NEW: The wife of Iranian illegal immigrant allegedly threatened to shoot ICE agents in the head when they came to arrest her husband after he ignored a removal order for more than a decade.
Linet Vartanians, 37, is accused of telling the feds she had a loaded gun and would shoot… pic.twitter.com/WMnkoOZcvR
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Eidivand, an Iranian national, has been under a deportation order since 2013 but has remained in the U.S. for over a decade in violation of that order.
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When ICE agents arrived at the residence over the weekend, Vartanians allegedly refused to open the door and warned agents to return only with a warrant. D
uring the exchange, she reportedly told federal officers that she had a loaded firearm and would shoot anyone who entered the home. According to federal prosecutors, Vartanians also threatened to “shoot ICE officers in the head” as they stood outside.
In addition, local law enforcement received a call from the couple during the incident. A police dispatcher who spoke with Eidivand said he acknowledged that there were three guns inside the house.
Federal agents returned the following day with a search warrant. During the execution of that warrant, officers discovered at least two loaded firearms—one on the kitchen counter and another on a bedroom nightstand. The couple was taken into custody without further incident.
The arrest comes as Immigration and Customs Enforcement steps up operations targeting Iranian nationals in the United States.

The crackdown follows recent U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to identify and deport individuals in violation of federal immigration law.
According to NewsNation, ICE agents arrested 130 Iranian illegal immigrants last week alone, including individuals flagged as potential national security threats.
Both Vartanians and Eidivand are now facing federal charges. Details on their detention status or court appearances have not been released by the Department of Justice.
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