Iran’s players have received visas to enter the United States to compete in the World Cup, a White House official told Reuters news agency this Friday (5).
The authorization comes ten days before the debut of the Persian country — at war with the USA — in the World Cup, in Los Angeles, against New Zealand.
Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, said on Thursday (4) that his country’s delegation had not yet received visas to enter the United States.
Tehran changed its base for the World Cup from Arizona at the last minute to Tijuana, Mexico, because of the imbroglio over visas and because the country understands that its delegation should spend as little time as possible on American soil. The Iranian team is expected to arrive in Tijuana on Sunday (7).
In addition to the match against New Zealand, the Persians will also face Belgium in Los Angeles. Then, they play Egypt in Seattle.
The War in Iran turned the World Cup, the biggest sporting event in the world, into a geopolitical dispute, with both sides trying to use the competition to gain political support.
It will be the first time that a World Cup host country will host a nation against which it is waging war on its territory for the competition.
According to Pasandideh, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, the US never said whether or not it would allow the Persian delegation to be hosted on American soil.
Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, told American parliamentarians on Tuesday (2) that the country would not allow Iran to take in its delegation individuals linked to the Revolutionary Guard, an Iranian body classified as terrorist by Washington.
The restriction could apply to Iranian players who had links to the group during their mandatory military service.
