Two family members of slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani have been arrested in the United States after their residency permits were rescinded, the US State Department said on Saturday.

"Last night, the niece and grand niece of deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qassem Soleimani were arrested by federal agents following Secretary of State Marco Rubio's termination of their lawful permanent resident (LPR) status," a department statement said.

It identified the niece as Hamideh Soleimani Afshar.

Her daughter was not named.

Soleimani Afshar's husband has also been barred from entering the United States, the statement said.

But, according to the Iranian news agency Fars, Soleimani's daughter Zeinab said: "The US State Department's claim is a lie: the people arrested in the United States have no connection to the family."

Iranian state TV cited another daughter, Narjes, a member of Tehran's Islamic City Council, as saying: "To this day, no member of the family nor any relative of Martyr Soleimani has resided in the United States."

The daughter and son-in-law of another slain Iranian official, security chief Ali Larijani, have also had their legal status terminated.

Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was killed on March 17 in an Israeli strike. (AFP)


Edited by Tony Sabine