In brief
In a striking move, the United States has detained Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, niece of the late Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, and her daughter. Their lawful US permanent resident status was revoked under Secretary of State Marco Rubio's directive due to their purported support for the Iranian regime. The women are currently in the custody of ICE, facing removal from the country. General Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike in 2020, leading to heightened tensions between the two nations.
The niece and grand-niece of the deceased commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Gen Qasem Soleimani, have been arrested, the State Department has said.Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter's lawful US permanent resident status was revoked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a statement released on Saturday said.In a post on social media, Rubio said the two women were in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), pending removal from the country.Gen Soleimani, who was Iran's most powerful military commander, was killed in 2020 in a US airstrike in Iraq which was ordered by then US President Donald Trump.The State Department said Soleimani Afsha is an outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran and has promoted Iranian regime propaganda on her social media account.Rubio also shared a statement on X, saying Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were green card holders living lavishly in the United States. Soleimani Afshar's husband has also been barred from the US, according to the statement.General Qasem Soleimani led Iranian military operations in the Middle East as head of Iran's elite Quds Force and was killed at Baghdad airport in an attack that also claimed the lives of other Iran-backed militia figures.}
