Soleimani’s relatives have green cards scrapped

Two relatives of deceased Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani have had their green cards revoked, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday.

Soleimani’s niece, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, and her daughter were arrested by federal agents Friday night and are in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Their eligibility for lawful permanent resident status or entrance into the U.S. was determined to be no longer valid, according to the State Department.

Iranian officials have repeatedly vowed retaliation for Soleimani’s death, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike under President Trump’s order in 2020.

The State Department said in a statement that Ms. Afshar is “an outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran,” voicing such opinions on social media.

The department added, “While living in the United States, she promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks against American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East, praised the new Iranian Supreme Leader, denounced America as the ‘Great Satan,’ and voiced her unflinching support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terror organization.”

The statement said the Soleimani niece “pushed this propaganda for Iran’s terrorist regime while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, as attested to by her frequent posting on her recently deleted Instagram account.”

Meanwhile, her husband has also been barred from entering the U.S., according to the department.

Acting Assistant Homeland Security Director Lauren Bis told NewsNation that the two entered the U.S. — the mother on a tourist visa and her daughter, whose name was not publicized, on a student visa — at separate times in 2015.

The Soleimani niece filed a naturalization application last year, disclosing that she had traveled to Iran four times since she was issued a green card.

“Her trips to Iran illustrate her asylum claims were fraudulent,” Ms. Bis said.

These are the latest Iranians to have their U.S. legal status revoked amid the war in Iran. Earlier this month, Mr. Rubio rescinded the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of Ali Larijani, the Iranian security official who was killed last month in the war, and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Both are no longer in the U.S. and have been barred from future entry, the State Department said.

The State Department also revoked or declined to renew the visas of several Iranian diplomats in December.

Such revocation comes as the Trump administration ramps up its military pressure against Iran.