The US is pushing back on complaints from Iran’s national team that they were forced to leave the country immediately after their first World Cup match. Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, stated that the team was aware of the plan to leave the US after their match.

Visa Issues and Travel Restrictions

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei expressed that the team had expected to spend the night in California to recover after their opening game. However, Iran winger Mehdi Torabi’s entry visa had expired, and team officials secured a new multiple-entry visa for him to participate in future matches.

Giuliani mentioned that some of the Iranian team’s support staff and officials were denied entry into the US due to their ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The US has been clear about denying entry to individuals with direct ties to the IRGC.

Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.