NEW YORK - US federal agents have arrested the niece and grand-niece of the late Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qassem Soleimani after their permanent resident status was revoked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department said on Saturday.

According to the State Department, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The decision to revoke their green cards resulted in their subsequent arrest.

Also, Afshar's husband has also been barred from entering the United States, the State Department said.