A woman identified as the niece of slain Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani has been arrested in the United States.
Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, who showcased her lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, was detained on Friday (April 3) by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
In addition to detaining the 47-year-old, ICE arrested her 25-year-old daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, revoking both of their green cards.
Highlights
- Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, believed to be the niece of Iranian leader Qassem Soleimani, was arrested by ICE on Friday.
- Afshar was arrested alongside her daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, and both had their permanent resident status revoked.
- The mother and daughter, who entered the US in 2015, documented their lavish lifestyles on social media.
Image credits: Hamideh Soleimani Afshar/Facebook
The mother and daughter documented their glitzy lives on their since-deleted social media pages, posting photos of opulent holidays, expensive cars, and lavish parties, as per The Daily Mail.
Afshar reportedly shared images of herself wearing gold jewelry and Louis Vuitton clothing, as well as going on helicopter rides in the desert.
Similarly, her daughter posted pictures showing her posing on a bed in a party dress next to a bottle of rosé, relaxing by the pool in a bikini.
Image credits: Sarinasadat Hosseiny/Instagram
Both wore clothing deemed illegal in Iran, where women can face arrest for disobeying the strict dress code requiring them to wear the hijab in public. The legal obligation to wear the hijab was enforced after the 1979 revolution that ousted the pro-Western Shah.
Afshar reportedly entered the US in 2015 on a tourist visa, while her daughter entered the same year on a student visa. Four years later, they were granted asylum by a judge.
In 2021, the mother obtained her green card, followed by her daughter in 2023.
Image credits: Pool/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The Department of Homeland Security claimed that in a July 2025 naturalization application, Afshar disclosed that she had traveled to Iran at least four times since receiving her green card, which reportedly rendered her asylum “fraudulent.”
The US government announced that the women’s permanent resident status had been revoked and that they would soon be deported.
Afshar was identified as “the niece of deceased Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani” and accused of celebrating attacks on Americans amid the US war with Iran.
Image credits: Hamideh Soleimani Afshar/Facebook
Afshar’s husband has also been barred from entering the US.
On Sunday (April 5), an Iranian foreign ministry official claimed that Afshar and Hosseiny were not related to Soleimani.
Narjes Soleimani, the deceased leader’s daughter, stated that his family had never lived in the US and that the military commander had two nephews, not nieces.
Image credits: Sarinasadat Hosseiny/Instagram
“The individuals arrested in the US have no connection whatsoever to Martyr Soleimani and the claims made by the US State Department are false,” she said.
She added that the US had "become so weak and insignificant" and was "fabricating lies against a great figure.”
Soleimani was assassinated by the United States in a targeted drone strike in 2020. Described as "the single most powerful operative in the Middle East,” he was the commander of the Quds Force, which was responsible for extraterritorial and clandestine military operations.
Image credits: CollinRugg/X
The news of Afshar’s arrest comes after Iranian politician Ali Shamkhani was accused of hypocrisy over a video reportedly showing his daughter’s wedding ceremony.
In the video, shared by the independent network Iran International, the bride is seen wearing a strapless white dress with a low neckline as she enters Tehran’s luxury Espinas Palace Hotel.
Image credits: CollinRugg/X
Women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad wrote, “The daughter of Ali Shamkhani, one of the Islamic Republic’s top enforcers, had a lavish wedding in a strapless dress. Meanwhile, women in Iran are beaten for showing their hair and young people can’t afford to marry.”
Alireza Akhondi, a Swedish Member of Parliament of Iranian descent, added, “The daughter of one of the most corrupt and repressive officials of the Islamic Republic is getting married in a lavish celebration, dressed freely. She is free because her father has power.”
Image credits: Hamideh Soleimani Afshar/Facebook
In contrast, supporters argued that the video showed “a normal Iranian wedding” and that there was “nothing lavish” about it.
Shamkhani, who was assassinated in February by Israeli airstrikes in Tehran, served as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) between 2013 and 2023 and was part of the government when Iran arrested thousands of protesters advocating for gender equality.
Image credits: Khamenei.ir/Wikimedia
In 2022, thousands of women protested after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, unexpectedly lost her life while in the custody of Iran’s morality police. She had been arrested for “improper” clothing and allegedly failing to comply with state-mandated hijab rules.
Government coroners cited “multiple organ failure caused by cerebral hypoxia,” but Amini’s family was reportedly not allowed to examine her body.
According to the NGO Human Rights Watch, 20,000 people were arrested after participating in the protests.
