US agents arrest relatives of Iran's Qassem Soleimani after revoking their green cards

Washington: US federal agents 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, the State Department ​said on Saturday.

"Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement," the State Department said in a statement, ​saying also that ⁠Rubio revoked their green cards. Soleimani was killed in a January 2020 US airstrike in Baghdad during President Donald Trump's first term in office.

The ⁠State ‌Department said Afshar supported Iran's government and its propaganda. It also said Afshar's husband ‌was barred from entering the United States. The detention came ⁠as the US-Israeli war against Iran entered its sixth week .

The State Department added ‌that earlier this month, Rubio terminated the ‌legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter ‌of veteran Iranian politician Ali Larijani, and ‌her husband Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Ardeshir-Larijani and Motamedi are no longer in the United States and are barred from ⁠future entry, according ⁠to the State Department.

Ali Larijani, an architect of Iran's security policy, was killed in mid-March by a US-Israeli air attack. In his second term in office, Trump's administration has stepped up deportation attempts against immigrants, calling them threats.

Rights advocates ​have raised concerns about free speech and due ​process. Many immigrants detained ​by ICE have been released following court orders.