Federal immigration agents have arrested the niece and grandniece of the late Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in the US. Sarinasadat Hosseiny, 25, and her mother Hamideh Soleimani Afshar were detained after their permanent resident status was revoked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The arrests were made due to their connection to the Iranian regime.
Despite denying any ties to the political regime, Soleimani’s daughter refuted the US government’s claims. Hosseiny arrived in the US on a student visa in 2015 and later gained asylum and permanent residency. Afshar, who entered on a tourist visa in 2015, also obtained asylum and a green card in subsequent years.
The Department of Homeland Security revealed that Afshar had made multiple trips to Iran, casting doubt on the legitimacy of her asylum claims. Social media posts by the grandniece depicted a lavish lifestyle in the US, contradicting the ideals of her great-uncle’s regime. The DHS mentioned that Afshar had referred to America as the “Great Satan” in social media posts.
In addition to the revocation of their legal status, Afshar’s husband has been barred from entering the US. This crackdown on individuals linked to Tehran includes the case of Dr. Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, whose visa was canceled. She is the daughter of Ali Larijani, the former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, who was assassinated in March.
