Hamida Soleimani Afshar, niece of Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the elite “Quds” force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who was killed in 2020, and her daughter were arrested last night in the United States.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their status as lawful permanent residents, the State Department announced.
Both are currently in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Afshar's husband is also banned from entering the United States.
The State Department, citing media reports and comments by Afshar herself on social media, particularly on Instagram (owned by Meta, which is designated as extremist and banned in Russia), calls her a supporter of Iran's "totalitarian, terrorist regime" and accuses her of encouraging it.
“While living in the United States, she promoted the Iranian regime, welcomed attacks on American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East, praised Iran's new supreme leader, called America the "Great Satan" and stated her unwavering support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, designated a terrorist organization. "Afshar Soleimani was spreading this propaganda for Iran's terrorist regime while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, as evidenced by her frequent posts on her now-deleted Instagram account," the publication said.