The U.S. State Department announced the arrest of the niece and daughter of Qassem Soleimani, the slain commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
U.S. Action Against Soleimani’s Family
The U.S. State Department reported on Saturday the arrest of Hamideh Sulejmani Afshar, niece of Qassem Soleimani, and her daughter. They are currently held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to the State Department, “The niece of deceased IRGC Division General Qassem Soleimani and her daughter were arrested by federal agents after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their permanent resident status.”
Allegations of Pro-Iran Propaganda
The State Department added that Sulejmani Afshar is a staunch supporter of the Iranian regime. “As reported by both press accounts and her own social media commentary, Sulejmani Afshar is a fervent supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran.”
Reasons for U.S. Decision
In addition to revoking their residency, the husband of Afshar has been banned from entering the United States.
The State Department stated that while residing in the U.S., Afshar “spread propaganda for the Iranian regime and celebrated attacks on American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East.”
The administration stated it “will not allow our country to become a haven for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.”
Who Was Qassem Soleimani?
Soleimani, commander of the Al-Quds Force responsible for the IRGC’s foreign operations, was a key figure in Iranian and Middle Eastern politics. He was killed in January 2020 in a U.S. drone strike at Baghdad International Airport.
NBC News reported at the time that the decision to carry out the strike was in retaliation for an attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
The State Department previously stated that Soleimani “organized attacks on coalition bases in Iraq (…) which resulted in the deaths of (…) American and Iraqi soldiers. General Soleimani also approved attacks on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.”
Copyright Information
Material protected by copyright law – all rights reserved. Further distribution of the article with the publisher’s consent INFOR PL S.A. Buy a license. Enter the email address of the selected person, and we will send them free access to this article. Copyright © INFOR PL S.A.
