The niece and grand-niece of the deceased commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Gen Qasem Soleimani, have been arrested, the State Department said.
Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter's lawful US permanent resident status was revoked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a statement released on Saturday said.
In a post on social media, Rubio said the two women were in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), pending removal from the country.
Gen Soleimani, who was Iran's most powerful military commander, was killed in 2020 in a US air strike in Iraq which was ordered by then US President Donald Trump.
The State Department described Soleimani Afshar as an outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran and stated she had promoted Iranian regime propaganda on her social media account.
Additionally, Soleimani Afshar's husband has also been barred from the US. The statement did not name her daughter or husband.
Rubio pointed out on X that Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were green card holders living lavishly in the United States.
Gen Qasem Soleimani led Iranian military operations in the Middle East as head of Iran's elite Quds Force. He was killed at Baghdad airport, alongside other Iran-backed militia figures.
President Trump commented about Soleimani during his national address, recalling the strike he ordered on the commander, stating, I killed Gen Qasem Soleimani in my first term... he was an evil genius, brilliant person, a horrible human being. Trump also noted that Iran would have been perhaps in a far better, stronger position had Soleimani still been alive.
