Two relatives of slain Iranian General Qasem Soleimani arrested in US

Kathmandu. The US State Department announced on Saturday that two family members of the late Iranian General Qasem Soleimani have been arrested in the United States.

In a statement, the US State Department said, 'Federal security officials have arrested the niece and grand-niece of Major General Qasem Soleimani of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps.'

The niece has been identified as Hamid Soleimani Afsar, while the name of her daughter has not been disclosed. The statement added, 'Both are currently in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).'

Soleimani, who led the IRGC's foreign operations branch, was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad, Iraq, in January 2020, during the final year of President Donald Trump's first term.

The US State Department stated, 'Press reporting and her own social media responses confirm that Soleimani Afsar is an outspoken supporter of the current Iranian regime.'

The statement also noted that they have praised Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and condemned the United States as the 'Great Satan.'

Soleimani Afsar's husband has also been barred from entering the United States. Additionally, the legal status of the daughter and son-in-law of former Iranian security chief Ali Larijani has been revoked.

The statement said, 'Neither is currently in the United States and both are barred from future entry.' Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was killed in an Israeli strike on March 17.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the arrests in a post on X, stating, 'The Trump administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.'