US detains relatives of late Iranian ​general ​Qasem Soleimani

US authorities have detained Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, the niece of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Major General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in 2020, along with her daughter.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their lawful permanent resident (LPR) status, Caliber.Az reports via the US State Department. 

Both are currently being held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while Afshar’s husband has been barred from entering the country.

Citing media reports and Afshar’s own social media activity, including posts on Instagram, the State Department described her as a supporter of Iran’s “totalitarian, terrorist regime” and accused her of promoting its propaganda.

“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. Afshar Soleimani 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,” the statement said.

According to the report, the documents were forwarded to ICE before the start of the US and Israeli military operation against Iran on February 28, but the process was delayed. The decision to revoke the green cards was finalised by Rubio on April 3.

By Jeyhun Aghazada