US arrests niece and grandniece of slain Iran general Qassem Soleimani

The Trump administration has revoked the green cards or US visas of at least four Iranian nationals connected to the current or former Iranian government, including two who have been detained by immigration authorities and are to be deported.The latest actions were taken just this week when Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined they were no longer eligible for either lawful permanent resident status, or to enter the United States. The steps follow a move late last year in which the visas of several diplomats and staff at Iran’s mission to the United Nations were also revoked.In a statement on Saturday, the US State Department said the niece and grandniece of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US air strike near the Baghdad airport in 2020, had been arrested late Friday by immigration agents after Rubio revoked their green cards.“Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” the statement said, adding that Afshar’s husband has also been banned from entering the United States.Afshar and her daughter had been living a “lavish lifestyle” in Los Angeles for many years while publicly supporting the Iranian government and anti-American attacks, according to the statement.02:30Iran-US tensions soar as thousands mourn slain general Qassem Soleimani Iran-US tensions soar as thousands mourn slain general Qassem Soleimani She is “an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the “Great Satan,” Rubio said in a social media post.