US Arrests Relatives of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani
The United States State Department has announced the arrest of Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, the niece and grand-niece of the late Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, General Qasem Soleimani.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their lawful US permanent resident status, according to a statement released on Saturday.
However, Soleimani's daughter has disputed the State Department's claims, asserting that the arrested individuals "have no connection whatsoever" to her father.
General Soleimani, who was Iran's most influential military commander, was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq in 2020, an operation ordered by then-President Donald Trump.
Custody and Immigration Status
In a social media post, Rubio stated that both women are currently in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and are awaiting removal from the country.
Rubio further commented on X that Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were "green card holders living lavishly in the United States."
According to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Soleimani Afshar entered the US on a tourist visa in 2015, was granted asylum in 2019, and obtained a green card in 2021.
During her naturalisation application filed in 2025, she disclosed that she had traveled to Iran four times since receiving her green card.
The DHS stated, "Her trips to Iran illustrate her asylum claims were fraudulent."
The DHS also noted that Soleimani Afshar's daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, arrived in the US in 2015 on a student visa, was granted asylum in 2019, and received a green card in 2023.
Allegations and Family Connections
The State Department described Soleimani Afshar as an "outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran" who promoted "Iranian regime propaganda" on her social media accounts.
Additionally, Soleimani Afshar's husband has been barred from entering the US, though the State Department did not disclose his name.
Responding to the arrests, Narjes Soleimani, daughter of the late general, issued a statement:
"The individuals arrested in the US have no connection whatsoever to Martyr Soleimani and the claims made by the US State Department are false."
"The US has become so weak and insignificant and is fabricating lies against a great figure."
Background on General Qasem Soleimani
General Soleimani led Iranian military operations across the Middle East as the head of Iran's elite Quds Force.
He was 62 years old when he was killed at Baghdad airport alongside other Iran-backed militia leaders.
During a national address on Wednesday, former President Donald Trump referenced the strike that killed Soleimani, stating:
"I killed Gen Qasem Soleimani in my first term. He was an evil genius, brilliant person, a horrible human being however, the father of the roadside bomb, and he lived just horrible, what he did."
"Iran would have been perhaps in a far better, stronger position in the war if Soleimani was still alive."
