The United States has revoked residence visas held by relatives of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian military commander killed in a 2020 U.S. strike, according to reporting from CBS News and Al Jazeera published on May 10.
CBS News reported that Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter had previously been granted permission to reside in the U.S., but those visas have now been canceled. Al Jazeera, citing the same development, also reported that U.S. authorities revoked the family’s residence visas. Neither outlet reported when the revocations took effect or which specific U.S. agency issued the decision.
Who is affected
CBS News identified the affected family members as Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter. The outlet described them as relatives of Qassem Soleimani, the senior Iranian military commander who led the Quds Force, a branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Al Jazeera also reported that relatives of Soleimani had their U.S. residence visas revoked, aligning with the details provided by CBS News. Both outlets stated that the family members had been granted permission to live in the United States before the decision to cancel their status.
The reports did not specify where in the U.S. the family had been living, how long they had resided there, or whether they are currently inside or outside the country. No information was provided on any legal avenues the family might be pursuing in response.
What is known about the U.S. decision
CBS News reported that U.S. authorities revoked the residence visas but did not detail the legal grounds, citing only that the visas had been canceled. The report did not quote U.S. officials by name or provide a public statement from the White House, the State Department, or the Department of Homeland Security.
Al Jazeera similarly reported that the visas were revoked, describing the move as part of a broader tightening of U.S. measures connected to Iran. However, the outlet did not provide additional documentary evidence or official U.S. statements specific to the visa decision.
As of the reporting on May 10, neither source cited a public explanation from U.S. officials outlining the rationale, the timing, or the process behind the revocations. It is not clear from the available reporting whether the move is tied to a specific statute, sanctions authority, or immigration rule.
Links to Iran and regional tensions
Both outlets identified the family members as relatives of Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. At the time of his death, Soleimani was widely described by U.S. officials as a key figure in Iran’s regional military activities.
Al Jazeera placed the visa decision within a broader pattern of U.S. and Israeli actions targeting Iranian-linked infrastructure and individuals, but did not provide additional documentary detail specific to the family members’ case. Its reporting connected the revocations to a wider climate of pressure on Iran, while acknowledging limited public information about the internal U.S. decision-making.
CBS News focused more narrowly on the fact of the visa revocations and the identity of the affected family members, without extending the report into broader geopolitical analysis.
What remains unclear
Across both CBS News and Al Jazeera reports, several key points remain unconfirmed:
- Official justification: Neither outlet cited an official U.S. explanation for why the visas were revoked.
- Timing: The exact date the visas were canceled was not reported.
- Current location: It is not clear whether Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are currently in the United States or abroad.
- Legal recourse: The reporting did not indicate whether the family plans to challenge the decision or whether any legal proceedings are under way.
Without public documentation or on-the-record statements from U.S. agencies, the available information is limited to what the two outlets have reported: that residence visas held by Soleimani’s relatives were granted and have now been revoked.
Why this matters
The revocation of residence visas for relatives of a high-profile Iranian military figure links U.S. immigration decisions to ongoing tensions involving Iran, the United States, and Israel. CBS News and Al Jazeera both treated the move as a notable development in how Washington is handling individuals connected to Iranian power structures.
The lack of a public explanation from U.S. authorities leaves open questions about how similar cases might be handled in the future and what criteria are being applied. Further developments are likely to depend on whether U.S. agencies release additional information or whether legal or diplomatic responses emerge from Iran or the affected family members.
