On 4/4, the US Department of State announced that federal agents arrested the niece of Major General Qassem Soleimani of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and her daughter last night, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their legal permanent residency status.

According to the agency, the general's niece is Hamideh Soleimani Afshar; her daughter's name was not disclosed. Both are detained at a facility of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

US federal agents patrol Minneapolis, Minnesota on 5/2. *AP*.

US officials stated that Soleimani Afshar supports the Iranian government, praises the new supreme leader, and "calls the US the newest enemy." Soleimani Afshar's husband is also barred from entering the US.

However, Soleimani's daughter, Zeinab Soleimani, said these individuals are not their relatives. "The US Department of State made a false announcement; those people have no connection to our family," Zeinab stated.

Narjes Soleimani, another daughter of Soleimani and a member of the Tehran City Council, affirmed that "no member of our family or relatives currently resides in the US."

These reports emerge as the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran escalates following Iran shooting down a US F-15 fighter jet. Both the US and Iran are searching for an officer who ejected. US lawmakers assess that if Iran captures this individual alive, the negotiation landscape could shift.

General Qassem Soleimani with commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard at a meeting in Tehran in 9/2016. *AP*.

Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, died in Baghdad, Iraq in 1/2020 when a US unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacked his vehicle. President Trump ordered this strike during his first term.

Soleimani was described as "one of the most powerful people in the Middle East, a genius of asymmetric warfare." In retaliation for his death, Iran launched missiles at US military bases in Iraq on 8/1/2020, injuring about 110 US soldiers.

Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, AP, Tasnim)