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Rubio revokes green cards of 2 Soleimani relatives amid Iran conflict

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by Steff Danielle Thomas - 04/04/26 1:01 PM ET

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by Steff Danielle Thomas - 04/04/26 1:01 PM ET

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked the green cards of two relatives of slain Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, as the Trump administration ramps up its military pressure on Tehran.

Rubio said in a statement that he determined Hamideh Soleimani Afshar — identified as the former commander’s niece — to be an outspoken supporter of the Iranian “terrorist regime.” She, along with her daughter, was arrested and taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on Friday, according to the State Department.

“While living in the United States, she promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks against American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East, praised the new Iranian Supreme Leader, denounced America as the ‘Great Satan,’ and voiced her unflinching support for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terror organization,” the statement reads.

“Afshar Soleimani pushed this propaganda for Iran’s terrorist regime while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, as attested to by her frequent posting on her recently deleted Instagram account,” it continued.

Her husband has also been barred from entering the U.S., according to the administration.

Acting Assistant Homeland Security Director Lauren Bis said the two women entered into the U.S. at separate times in summer 2015, the mother on a tourist visa and her daughter on a student visa, according to a statement shared with The Hill’s sister network NewsNation.

Afshar Soleimani, according to Bis, filed a naturalization application in 2025 where she “disclosed she traveled to Iran already four times” since she was issued a green card.

“Her trips to Iran illustrate her asylum claims were fraudulent,” the assistant director wrote.

“It is a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America,” Bis added later. “If we have reason to believe a green card holder poses a threat to the U.S., the green card will be revoked.”

The action comes as President Trump has doubled down on his threat to attack energy infrastructure in Iran if the leadership refuses to come to a ceasefire deal, including ending its nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The key passageway is known to transport roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil. Restrictions on the channel, put in place after the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran in late February, have caused global fuel prices to rise.

World leaders and the U.S. alike have pressured the Iranian regime to reopen the strait.

Trump on Saturday upped the ante, reminding Tehran of his previous warnings.

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!”

The escalation comes after the president signaled during a Wednesday address to the nation that the conflict in the Middle East was winding down.

The risk of an even wider war was also underscored earlier this week after Iran downed two U.S. fighter jets. While two service members were rescued following the incidents, one pilot is still missing.

Soleimani, who led Iran’s elite Quds Force, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020 — a flashpoint that still shapes hostilities between the two countries. Iranian officials have repeatedly vowed retaliation for his killing, and the ongoing conflict has renewed focus on his role in projecting the Islamic Republic’s influence across the Middle East.

Rubio’s decision to revoke the two Soleimani relatives’ green cards also aligns with a wider immigration crackdown by the administration, which has moved to halt certain visa processing and reexamine green card eligibility for individuals from countries viewed as national security risks, including Iran.

“The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes,” the State Department wrote.

Updated at 1:40 p.m. EDT.

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