The United States has launched a visa revocation case against two relatives of Qassem Suleimani. That former Iranian general died in a 2020 U.S. drone strike. The State Department announced the arrests on April 5, 2026. Officials canceled their permanent residency. Federal agents then took them into custody. Consequently, this action marks a major expansion of U.S. enforcement. The two individuals are Hamideh Suleimani Afshar and her daughter Sarina Sadat Hosseini. U.S. authorities identified Afshar as Suleimani’s niece. Hosseini is therefore his great-niece. Both women lived in Los Angeles, California. Immigration and Customs Enforcement now holds them. Officials also barred Afshar’s husband from entering America.
Afshar first arrived on a tourist visa in 2015. She received asylum in 2019. Later, she obtained a green card in 2021. However, her 2025 citizenship application revealed multiple trips back to Iran. U.S. officials say these travels undermine her asylum claims. For this reason, the Department of Homeland Security revoked both women’s legal status. The agency stated that permanent residency is a privilege, not a right. Public records show Afshar worked as a fashion influencer on Instagram. Her account had over 11,000 followers. It went offline on January 31, 2026. She operated a clothing brand called Afshar Apparel. The brand’s website now displays a picture of Reza Pahlavi. He is the former crown prince of Iran. Therefore, this change suggests a possible hack or takeover.
The United States officials listed several reasons for the visa revocation case. For example, they cited Afshar’s public praise for Iran’s leadership. They also noted her celebrations of attacks on U.S. military personnel. Furthermore, she called America the great Satan online. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the revocation order personally. He described Afshar as an open supporter of Iran’s government. Zainab Suleimani is Qassem Suleimani’s daughter. She quickly rejected the U.S. statement. Specifically, she claimed the arrested woman has no family relation. She added that both of her uncle’s nieces are male, not female.
U.S. officials maintain their identification is correct. The State Department used the word niece, which can mean a brother’s or sister’s daughter. This visa revocation case follows growing U.S. scrutiny of Iranian officials’ relatives abroad. For instance, the U.S. also banned Fatemeh Larijani. She is the daughter of former official Ali Larijani. She and her husband can no longer enter America. Fatemeh Larijani previously worked at a cancer institute in Atlanta. Public protests there raised questions about her job. The U.S. government has not disclosed the daughter’s specific immigration status.
Officials also did not say where the two women are now detained. As a result, legal experts expect deportation proceedings to begin soon. Meanwhile, Iran has not issued an official response. Nonetheless, social media users in Iran widely criticized the arrests as politically motivated. Observers believe the visa revocation case will intensify US-Iran tensions. The Biden administration had eased some enforcement actions earlier. Now Washington appears to take a harder line. Future cases may target more relatives of Iranian military figures. For now, both women remain in federal custody. They are awaiting removal hearings.