Qasem Soleimani, former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who was killed in a US attack [EPA Yonhap News]

The US Trump administration has revoked the permanent residency of the niece of Qasem Soleimani, former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and her family, and has taken them into custody.

In a press release on the 4th (local time), the US State Department stated, "Last night, the niece of the deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani and her daughter were arrested by federal agents after their lawful permanent resident (LPR) status was terminated."

The niece's name is Hamideh Soleimani Afshar. The mother and daughter are currently being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, the State Department said. Afshar's husband has also been banned from entering the United States.

The Afshar mother and daughter were residing in Los Angeles (LA), USA. The State Department claimed, "As evidenced by her posts on her recently deleted Instagram account, Afshar enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in LA while spreading propaganda for Iran's terrorist regime."

The State Department pointed out that Afshar "promoted the Iranian regime's propaganda while residing in the United States, celebrated attacks against American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East, praised Iran's new supreme leader, denounced the United States as the 'Great Satan,' and expressed unwavering support for the Revolutionary Guard Corps, designated as a terrorist organization."

The State Department also announced that the legal status in the United States of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of former Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, and her husband Seyed Kalantar Motamedi has also been terminated. They are not currently residing in the United States and are banned from future entry.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated, "The Trump administration will not allow our country to become a haven for foreigners who support anti-American terrorist regimes."

Qasem Soleimani was eliminated by the US military during the first term of the Trump administration in January 2020. Larijani, who was Iran's security chief, was killed in a targeted airstrike by Israeli forces on the 17th of last month.