French media: Niece of Qasem Soleimani, whose green card was revoked, arrested in the U.S.; daughter of Larijani’s identity terminated
The U.S. Department of State announced on Saturday that federal agents have arrested two individuals— the niece and granddaughter of the late Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' "Quds Force"—after Secretary Marco Rubio revoked their lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. On January 3, 2020, a U.S. drone strike killed Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq.
The U.S. Department of State issued a statement titled "Secretary Rubio Revokes Green Cards of Foreign Nationals Linked to Iran's Terror Regime," stating: “Last night, following Secretary Rubio’s revocation of the lawful permanent resident (LPR) status of the late Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Qasem Soleimani’s niece and granddaughter, both women were apprehended by federal agents. Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are currently in custody with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Media reports and her own statements on social media indicate that Soleimani Afshar is an open supporter of Iran’s current regime."
The statement continued: “While residing in the United States, Soleimani Afshar actively promoted propaganda from the Iranian regime, praised attacks against U.S. military personnel and U.S. military facilities in the Middle East, lauded Iran’s new Supreme Leader, denounced the United States as the 'Great Satan,' and unswervingly supported the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has been designated as a terrorist organization. This is evident from her frequent posts on her recently deleted Instagram account.”
The Department of State noted: “In addition to terminating the permanent resident status of Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, her husband has also been barred from entering the United States.”
The statement further mentioned: “Earlier this month, Secretary Rubio also terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of Ali Larijani, former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and her husband Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Both Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani and Motamedi have since left the United States and are prohibited from re-entering. Ali Larijani died in an Israeli airstrike on March 17 of this year.”
On Saturday, Rubio himself posted on the social media platform X: “Until recently, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were green card holders... Afshar is the niece of the late Iranian Brigadier General Qasem Soleimani. She is also an open supporter of the Iranian regime, having expressed approval of attacks against Americans and referred to the United States as the [Great Satan].”
Rubio added: “This week, I terminated Afshar and her daughter’s legal status; they are now in custody with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, awaiting deportation back to their home country. The Trump administration will never allow our nation to become a sanctuary for foreign nationals supporting anti-American terrorist regimes.”
Source: rfi
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1861558108444676/
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