US federal officials have arrested Sarinasadat Hosseiny, the 25-year-old grandniece of murdered Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, along with her mother, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, in Los Angeles. The arrests came after the State Department stripped them of their legal residency, revoking their green cards due to connections with the Iranian regime.
Grandniece of Slain Iranian General Qasem Soleimani arrested
The State Department confirmed on Saturday that both Hosseiny and her mother were taken into custody after their permanent resident status was terminated. Senator Marco Rubio, in a post on social media, said the women were under ICE custody and awaiting deportation. He added that they were “green card holders living lavishly in the United States.”
The State Department said Afshar openly supported the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a group officially listed as a terrorist organisation by the YS government. This support played a key role in the decision to terminate both women’s legal status in the country.
Rubio, in a post on social media, said the women were under ICE custody and awaiting deportation. He added that they were “green card holders living lavishly in the United States.”
Who is Sarinasadat Hosseiny?
Hosseiny first came to the US on a student visa and was later granted a green card by the Biden administration in 2023. During her time in America, she lived a lavish lifestyle. Her social media posts reveal a life full of travel and luxury: flying on private jets, relaxing on fancy boats, and attending music festivals. She visited Miami, Alaska, and Las Vegas, where she attended a Formula 1 race. Her social media showed no signs of regular work or employment.
While Hosseiny enjoyed the freedoms and luxuries of life in the US, her mother, Afshar, had long criticised the country, calling it the “Great Satan,” a term often used by Iranian revolutionaries. According to the State Department, Afshar openly supported attacks on American soldiers, praised Iran’s Supreme Leader, and backed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the US recognises as a terrorist organisation
Who was General Qasem Soleimani?
Major General Qasem Soleimani (1957–2020) was one of the most powerful figures in Iran’s military and political hierarchy. As the commander of the Quds Force, the elite foreign operations wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), he was the main architect of Iran’s regional military and foreign policy in the Middle East.
Often called the second most powerful person in Iran, Soleimani reported directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Soleimani began his rise during the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988). By the late 1990s, he was appointed head of the Quds Force. In this role, he created a wide network of proxy militias, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shia militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen.
He played a key role in keeping President Bashar al-Assad in power during the Syrian Civil War, coordinating ground operations and helping convince Russia to intervene in 2015. Even though he opposed the US, Soleimani and his militias were important ground forces in dismantling the ISIS caliphate in Iraq.
On January 3, 2020, Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport. The strike was ordered by then-President Donald Trump, who cited “imminent threats” to American diplomats and military personnel. His assassination caused a major escalation in US-Iran tensions.