LONDON: A post on Saturday by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ignited a social media firestorm with the announcement that two women with ties to the Iranian regime were in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, awaiting deportation.
The State Department later confirmed that Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, 47, and Sarinasadat Hosseiny, 25 — the niece and grandniece of slain Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qassem Soleimani — had lost their lawful permanent resident status and faced arrest.
Rubio’s post on X described the pair as “green card holders living lavishly” in the US, a characterization quickly reinforced by images drawn from Hosseiny’s since-deleted Instagram account.
Until recently, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were green card holders living lavishly in the United States.
Afshar is the niece of deceased Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani. She is also an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on…
