US arrests relatives of deceased Iranian general Qasem Soleimani
BBC • • nation
Key Points:
- The niece and grand-niece of the late Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Gen Qasem Soleimani, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, have been arrested and had their US permanent resident status revoked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
- Both women are currently in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and are pending removal from the United States.
- The State Department labeled Soleimani Afshar as an outspoken supporter of Iran's totalitarian regime and accused her of promoting Iranian regime propaganda on social media; her husband has also been barred from the US.
- Gen Qasem Soleimani, Iran's most powerful military commander, was killed in a 2020 US airstrike in Iraq ordered by then-President Donald Trump, who recently referenced the strike and Soleimani in a national address.
