Iran Slams US Over World Cup Visa Refusals for Delegation Staff

Iran has criticised the United States over the refusal to grant visas to several members of its World Cup delegation, describing the move as discriminatory and unfair.

The Iranian Embassy in Turkey accused US authorities of denying visas to key members of the national team’s support staff, including managerial and executive officials, technical advisers and other personnel considered essential to the squad’s participation in the tournament.

The embassy, in a statement posted on X, questioned why US officials highlighted visa approvals for players while failing to mention that several members of the broader delegation had reportedly been denied entry permits.

According to the embassy, the action represents an escalation of what it described as deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team ahead of the tournament.

The reaction followed comments by US envoy Tom Barrack, who commended the US Embassy in Ankara for processing visas for members of Iran’s national team. His remarks came after the President of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, disclosed that passports had been submitted for visa processing.

However, Iranian media reports on Saturday claimed that a number of officials, including Taj and other executive members of the delegation, had not received visas.

Despite the reports, Taj had earlier expressed confidence that the entire delegation would eventually obtain the required travel documents and participate fully in the competition.

The visa controversy comes as Iran prepares for the World Cup, with the team recently relocating its tournament base from Tucson, Arizona, to the Mexican border city of Tijuana.

Iran is scheduled to play all its group-stage matches in the United States. The national team, popularly known as Team Melli, will begin its campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15 before facing Belgium on June 21. The final group match is against Egypt in Seattle on June 27.

The development has added a diplomatic dimension to Iran’s World Cup preparations, with concerns growing over whether visa issues could affect the full participation of the country’s delegation during the tournament.