U.S. revokes legal residence status of former Iranian Guard leader Soleimani’s family, takes them into ICE custody
The niece and grand-niece of deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Major Gen. Qasem Soleimani were arrested Friday night after their lawful U.S. permanent resident status was terminated.
The State Department said Saturday in a statement that Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Soleimani Afshar promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East, and denounced America as the “Great Satan,” all while “enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles,” the statement said.
“As identified by both press reporting and her own social media commentary, Soleimani Afshar is an outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Soleimani Afshar’s 2019 asylum claim was “fraudulent,” citing at least four trips back to Iran after being issued a green card. Her husband has also been barred from entering the U.S., the State Department said. The government is now moving to strip them of their green cards and ultimately deport them, DHS said.
A sign depicting President Trump, with the caption “you will not erase our memory” in Arabic, is displayed before a memorial depicting Qasem Soleimani, the slain commander of the “Quds Force” of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
AFP via Getty Images
“It is a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America. If we have reason to believe a green card holder poses a threat to the U.S., the green card will be revoked,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News.
Iranian military leader Soleimani died in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. He was the architect of Iran’s regional military activities and is hailed as a national icon among supporters of Iran’s theocracy.
Relatively unknown in Iran until the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, Soleimani’s popularity and mystique grew after American officials called for his killing over his help in arming militants with penetrating roadside bombs that killed and maimed U.S. troops.
A decade and a half later, Soleimani had become Iran’s most recognizable battlefield commander, ignoring calls to enter politics but growing as powerful, if not more, than its civilian leadership.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he also terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Larijani, and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Top Iranian security official Ali Larijani was killed in an airstrike last month. His daughter and husband are no longer in the country.
“The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes,” Rubio said in a statement on X.
Rubio invoked the same rarely used powers last year to justify the detention and deportation of several pro-Palestinian activists with legal status, including Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil. Those efforts have been hindered by federal court lawsuits that allege Rubio’s determinations penalized the activists’ free speech.
Shortly after the announcement of their arrest, far-right influencer Laura Loomer said on social media that she had reported Soleimani’s niece to the State Department.
The niece and grand-niece of deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Major Gen. Qasem Soleimani were arrested Friday night after their lawful U.S. permanent resident status was terminated.
The State Department said Saturday in a statement that Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Soleimani Afshar promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East, and denounced America as the “Great Satan,” all while “enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles,” the statement said.
“As identified by both press reporting and her own social media commentary, Soleimani Afshar is an outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Soleimani Afshar’s 2019 asylum claim was “fraudulent,” citing at least four trips back to Iran after being issued a green card. Her husband has also been barred from entering the U.S., the State Department said. The government is now moving to strip them of their green cards and ultimately deport them, DHS said.
A sign depicting President Trump, with the caption “you will not erase our memory” in Arabic, is displayed before a memorial depicting Qasem Soleimani, the slain commander of the “Quds Force” of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
AFP via Getty Images
“It is a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America. If we have reason to believe a green card holder poses a threat to the U.S., the green card will be revoked,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News.
Iranian military leader Soleimani died in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. He was the architect of Iran’s regional military activities and is hailed as a national icon among supporters of Iran’s theocracy.
Relatively unknown in Iran until the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, Soleimani’s popularity and mystique grew after American officials called for his killing over his help in arming militants with penetrating roadside bombs that killed and maimed U.S. troops.
A decade and a half later, Soleimani had become Iran’s most recognizable battlefield commander, ignoring calls to enter politics but growing as powerful, if not more, than its civilian leadership.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he also terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Larijani, and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Top Iranian security official Ali Larijani was killed in an airstrike last month. His daughter and husband are no longer in the country.
“The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes,” Rubio said in a statement on X.
Rubio invoked the same rarely used powers last year to justify the detention and deportation of several pro-Palestinian activists with legal status, including Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil. Those efforts have been hindered by federal court lawsuits that allege Rubio’s determinations penalized the activists’ free speech.
Shortly after the announcement of their arrest, far-right influencer Laura Loomer said on social media that she had reported Soleimani’s niece to the State Department.
A 10-month-old girl has died along with two other people after a tree toppled during an Easter egg hunt in northern Germany, police say.
The 100-foot tree fell on four people participating in the event on Sunday morning in woods near the town of Satrupholm.
The baby girl died in hospital, while her 21-year-old mother died at the scene as she was being treated by first responders, as did another 16-year-old girl.
An 18-year-old woman suffered serious injuries and was brought to the hospital by helicopter.
The incident took place as around 50 people from a nearby residential facility for new mothers, pregnant women and children hunted for eggs in the area, which had been under a high winds warning from the German weather service.
Grief counsellors were sent to the scene, where pictures published by the Bild news site showed several Easter eggs scattered on the ground and two of the victims covered in white sheets.
The facility that held the event is part of the state-funded child welfare system and supports pregnant women and new mothers who need help, according to its website.
A 10-month-old girl has died along with two other people after a tree toppled during an Easter egg hunt in northern Germany, police say.
The 100-foot tree fell on four people participating in the event on Sunday morning in woods near the town of Satrupholm.
The baby girl died in hospital, while her 21-year-old mother died at the scene as she was being treated by first responders, as did another 16-year-old girl.
An 18-year-old woman suffered serious injuries and was brought to the hospital by helicopter.
The incident took place as around 50 people from a nearby residential facility for new mothers, pregnant women and children hunted for eggs in the area, which had been under a high winds warning from the German weather service.
Grief counsellors were sent to the scene, where pictures published by the Bild news site showed several Easter eggs scattered on the ground and two of the victims covered in white sheets.
The facility that held the event is part of the state-funded child welfare system and supports pregnant women and new mothers who need help, according to its website.
#Baby #mother #among #killed #tree #topples #Easter #egg #hunt #Germany">Baby and mother among three killed after tree topples during Easter egg hunt in Germany
A 10-month-old girl has died along with two other people after a tree toppled during an Easter egg hunt in northern Germany, police say.
The 100-foot tree fell on four people participating in the event on Sunday morning in woods near the town of Satrupholm.
The baby girl died in hospital, while her 21-year-old mother died at the scene as she was being treated by first responders, as did another 16-year-old girl.
An 18-year-old woman suffered serious injuries and was brought to the hospital by helicopter.
The incident took place as around 50 people from a nearby residential facility for new mothers, pregnant women and children hunted for eggs in the area, which had been under a high winds warning from the German weather service.
Grief counsellors were sent to the scene, where pictures published by the Bild news site showed several Easter eggs scattered on the ground and two of the victims covered in white sheets.
The facility that held the event is part of the state-funded child welfare system and supports pregnant women and new mothers who need help, according to its website.
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These cards are designed for people looking to pay off a large purchase or transfer a balance — so our ratings emphasize interest-free periods, fee structures, and how much time you really get to pay things down.
Our highest-rated 0% APR cards have:
Extended intro APR periods on purchases or balance transfers
Low or waived balance transfer fees
Solid ongoing value beyond the intro period, like no annual fee
Top-of-market features that stand out from competitors
We don’t penalize cards for a lack of long-term rewards here – this category is all about interest savings, and our ratings reflect that.
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you’re getting the best high limit card recommendations. Our aim is to maintain a balanced best-of list featuring top-scoring high limit credit cards from reputable brands. ‘Best for’ category selections on this page are determined by our editors, and a single card may be recognized in multiple categories.
Ordering within lists is influenced by advertiser compensation, including featured placements at the top of a given list, but our product recommendations are NEVER influenced by advertisers. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.
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These cards are designed for people looking to pay off a large purchase or transfer a balance — so our ratings emphasize interest-free periods, fee structures, and how much time you really get to pay things down.
Our highest-rated 0% APR cards have:
Extended intro APR periods on purchases or balance transfers
Low or waived balance transfer fees
Solid ongoing value beyond the intro period, like no annual fee
Top-of-market features that stand out from competitors
We don’t penalize cards for a lack of long-term rewards here – this category is all about interest savings, and our ratings reflect that.
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you’re getting the best high limit card recommendations. Our aim is to maintain a balanced best-of list featuring top-scoring high limit credit cards from reputable brands. ‘Best for’ category selections on this page are determined by our editors, and a single card may be recognized in multiple categories.
Ordering within lists is influenced by advertiser compensation, including featured placements at the top of a given list, but our product recommendations are NEVER influenced by advertisers. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.
Iranian drones also reportedly hit an office complex for Kuwaiti government ministries, which caused significant damage but no casualties, while local media reported that two power and water desalination plants had been hit.
It comes as Iran’s central military command rejected an ultimatum by the US president, Donald Trump, who had threatened to destroy the country’s vital infrastructure if Iran did not accept a peace deal within 48 hours. It also followed an Israeli attack on Iran’s petrochemical plants that Iranian media reports said killed at least five people.
The drone attacks on Kuwait are just the latest hit to Middle Eastern oil infrastructure since the US and Israel started the war against Iran at the end of February. Israel’s attack on a production facility in Iran’s largest gasfield at South Pars in mid-March, triggered retaliation by Tehran, which subsequently struck Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial complex. That came days after drones struck oil storage facilities at the port in Salalah in Oman.
Members of Opec+ – a larger group consisting of members of the Opec oil cartel and other countries – warned on Sunday that repairing energy facilities damaged in recent attacks “is both costly and takes a long time”, and would potentially hit global oil supplies well into the future. They also said the “the critical importance of safeguarding international maritime routes to ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy”.
Meanwhile, Opec+ reportedly agreed in principle to raising oil output by 206,000 barrels a day in May, according to Reuters. However, the agreement remains largely symbolic while Iran continues to effectively block the strait of Hormuz.
The strait is a vital trade artery and typically gives passage to about 100 tankers, carrying 20% of all global crude. Iran’s closure of the narrow waterway has severely constrained the distribution of global oil supplies.
The conflict has now resulted in the largest disruption to oil supplies in history.
The price of Brent crude has soared, rising more than 50% since the start of the year in response to the war and hitting a peak of $119.50 a barrel in March. It is currently trading at about $109 a barrel.
That has pushed up energy costs for consumers, including in the UK and the US, where motorists have been hit hard.
In the UK the average price of a litre of unleaded petrol stood at 154.45p on Sunday, according to the RAC.The average price of diesel is now 185.23p.
Just before the Iran war started, petrol cost 132.83p a litre on average, and diesel was 142.38p a litre.
Opec+ members had already agreed to increase output by an extra 206,000 barrels a day throughout April in response to the Iran war, at their last meeting on 1 March. The latest meeting suggests members will be poised to again increase output once tankers are allowed safe passage through the strait of Hormuz.
Iranian drones also reportedly hit an office complex for Kuwaiti government ministries, which caused significant damage but no casualties, while local media reported that two power and water desalination plants had been hit.
It comes as Iran’s central military command rejected an ultimatum by the US president, Donald Trump, who had threatened to destroy the country’s vital infrastructure if Iran did not accept a peace deal within 48 hours. It also followed an Israeli attack on Iran’s petrochemical plants that Iranian media reports said killed at least five people.
The drone attacks on Kuwait are just the latest hit to Middle Eastern oil infrastructure since the US and Israel started the war against Iran at the end of February. Israel’s attack on a production facility in Iran’s largest gasfield at South Pars in mid-March, triggered retaliation by Tehran, which subsequently struck Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial complex. That came days after drones struck oil storage facilities at the port in Salalah in Oman.
Members of Opec+ – a larger group consisting of members of the Opec oil cartel and other countries – warned on Sunday that repairing energy facilities damaged in recent attacks “is both costly and takes a long time”, and would potentially hit global oil supplies well into the future. They also said the “the critical importance of safeguarding international maritime routes to ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy”.
Meanwhile, Opec+ reportedly agreed in principle to raising oil output by 206,000 barrels a day in May, according to Reuters. However, the agreement remains largely symbolic while Iran continues to effectively block the strait of Hormuz.
The strait is a vital trade artery and typically gives passage to about 100 tankers, carrying 20% of all global crude. Iran’s closure of the narrow waterway has severely constrained the distribution of global oil supplies.
The conflict has now resulted in the largest disruption to oil supplies in history.
The price of Brent crude has soared, rising more than 50% since the start of the year in response to the war and hitting a peak of $119.50 a barrel in March. It is currently trading at about $109 a barrel.
That has pushed up energy costs for consumers, including in the UK and the US, where motorists have been hit hard.
In the UK the average price of a litre of unleaded petrol stood at 154.45p on Sunday, according to the RAC.The average price of diesel is now 185.23p.
Just before the Iran war started, petrol cost 132.83p a litre on average, and diesel was 142.38p a litre.
Opec+ members had already agreed to increase output by an extra 206,000 barrels a day throughout April in response to the Iran war, at their last meeting on 1 March. The latest meeting suggests members will be poised to again increase output once tankers are allowed safe passage through the strait of Hormuz.
#Iranian #drone #strikes #hit #Kuwaits #oil #infrastructure #Opec #supply #talks">Iranian drone strikes hit Kuwait’s oil infrastructure before Opec+ supply talks
Iranian drones struck Kuwait’s oil infrastructure on Sunday, causing “severe material damage” that threatened to further disrupt oil supplies already hit by the US and Israel’s war with Tehran.
It came hours before members of the Opec+ group that represents major global oil suppliers gathered to discuss how to bolster output despite Iran’s effective closure of the crucial strait of Hormuz shipping route.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked petrochemical plants in Kuwait, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reporting damage and fires at its subsidiaries. The company said fires had earlier broken out at its Shuwaikh oil sector complex, which houses the oil ministry and KPC headquarters, after a separate drone attack.
Iranian drones also reportedly hit an office complex for Kuwaiti government ministries, which caused significant damage but no casualties, while local media reported that two power and water desalination plants had been hit.
It comes as Iran’s central military command rejected an ultimatum by the US president, Donald Trump, who had threatened to destroy the country’s vital infrastructure if Iran did not accept a peace deal within 48 hours. It also followed an Israeli attack on Iran’s petrochemical plants that Iranian media reports said killed at least five people.
The drone attacks on Kuwait are just the latest hit to Middle Eastern oil infrastructure since the US and Israel started the war against Iran at the end of February. Israel’s attack on a production facility in Iran’s largest gasfield at South Pars in mid-March, triggered retaliation by Tehran, which subsequently struck Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial complex. That came days after drones struck oil storage facilities at the port in Salalah in Oman.
Members of Opec+ – a larger group consisting of members of the Opec oil cartel and other countries – warned on Sunday that repairing energy facilities damaged in recent attacks “is both costly and takes a long time”, and would potentially hit global oil supplies well into the future. They also said the “the critical importance of safeguarding international maritime routes to ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy”.
Meanwhile, Opec+ reportedly agreed in principle to raising oil output by 206,000 barrels a day in May, according to Reuters. However, the agreement remains largely symbolic while Iran continues to effectively block the strait of Hormuz.
The strait is a vital trade artery and typically gives passage to about 100 tankers, carrying 20% of all global crude. Iran’s closure of the narrow waterway has severely constrained the distribution of global oil supplies.
The conflict has now resulted in the largest disruption to oil supplies in history.
The price of Brent crude has soared, rising more than 50% since the start of the year in response to the war and hitting a peak of $119.50 a barrel in March. It is currently trading at about $109 a barrel.
That has pushed up energy costs for consumers, including in the UK and the US, where motorists have been hit hard.
In the UK the average price of a litre of unleaded petrol stood at 154.45p on Sunday, according to the RAC.The average price of diesel is now 185.23p.
Just before the Iran war started, petrol cost 132.83p a litre on average, and diesel was 142.38p a litre.
Opec+ members had already agreed to increase output by an extra 206,000 barrels a day throughout April in response to the Iran war, at their last meeting on 1 March. The latest meeting suggests members will be poised to again increase output once tankers are allowed safe passage through the strait of Hormuz.
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