US agents swoop on ‘family of late Iranian commander’ – but Iran says they have no ties
US federal agents claim to have detained the niece and grand-niece of late Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their lawful permanent resident status.
“Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” the State Department said in a statement, adding that Rubio revoked their residency status, also known as a green card.
The State Department did not say where the arrests occurred. The statement said the pair were arrested on Friday and that Afshar had been “enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles” that was documented on her recently deleted Instagram account.
Iranian state media cited an official at the country’s foreign ministry on Sunday as saying that the Iranian national recently arrested in the US had no family ties to Soleimani.
James Reynolds5 April 2026 14:26
