The United States State Department announced on Saturday, April 4, 2026, that the niece and grand-niece of the late Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander, Gen. Qasem Soleimani, have been arrested and are facing removal from the country. According to a statement released by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the lawful U.S. permanent resident status of Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter has been officially revoked.
In a social media post, Secretary Rubio confirmed that the two women are currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pending their deportation. Rubio characterized the individuals as “green card holders living lavishly in the United States” and asserted that Soleimani Afshar was an “outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran” who had frequently promoted “Iranian regime propaganda” through her social media channels.
The claims have met immediate pushback from the family of the deceased general. Soleimani’s daughter has publicly labeled the State Department’s assertions as false, stating that the arrested individuals “have no connection whatsoever” to her father. The late Gen. Soleimani, formerly Iran’s most influential military figure, was killed in 2020 during a U.S. air strike in Iraq authorized by then-President Donald Trump.
This diplomatic and legal development comes as the U.S. executive branch projects a timeline for ongoing military activities in the region. During a 20-minute primetime speech delivered last Wednesday, April 1, President Trump stated that the “core strategic objectives” of the joint US-Israeli military operation were “nearing completion” after a month of sustained warfare.
While the President projected that the conflict would likely last another two to three weeks, the detention of individuals linked to the former Iranian commander adds a new layer of domestic legal action to the broader geopolitical struggle. The State Department has not yet provided further details regarding the specific evidence used to revoke the permanent residency of the two women or their current location beyond ICE custody.|
